PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 13, 2026
In 30 years of floating, swimming, wading, fishing and generally mucking around in Maine’s Passagassawakeag estuary, I’d seen a sturgeon just once. This year, I had five sightings. In Wabanaki lore, it was known as a place to find sturgeon. Until their populations crashed over a century ago, up to 7 million pounds of sturgeon were harvested annually along the Atlantic coast for their flesh and their roe — caviar. Both species of sturgeon in Maine — shortnose sturgeon and the larger Atlantic sturgeon — have been federally protected under the Endangered Species Act since 2012. In a natural world that can feel like it’s unraveling at the seams, Maine sturgeon are symbols of hope and recovery, survival and resilience. ~ Murray Carpenter, Belfast