BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – During an ongoing study and investigation being led by the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC), DNA from the endangered shortnose sturgeon fish has been detected for the first time in the Connecticut River, between Bellows Falls and Turners Falls, Mass.
Initiated by Dr. Kate Buckman, CRC’s river steward for New Hampshire, the study utilized existing research and previous sightings by sturgeon biologist Micah Kieffer of the Eastern Ecological Science Center, along with information from local diver and archaeologist Annette Spaulding of Rockingham, and Joseph Graveline of Northfield, Mass., to help pinpoint what stretches of river to concentrate on to collect environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling. Buckman is also in partnership with James Garner, who is a doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts specializing in eDNA techniques.
“The project came together quickly,” Buckman said in a recent interview. “I started thinking about whether this type of project was feasible in 2023, and applied for some funding late in the year. James [Garner] had been considering it independently, but could not undertake it alone. A mutual colleague introduced James and I in early 2024, and we realized we had complementary skill sets and would make a good team.”
The shortnose sturgeon fish is a federally endangered species, which makes it illegal to target, catch, or disturb them. Years ago, shortnose sturgeon were common throughout the Connecticut River watershed in the Bellows Falls area. However, the building of several dams over the years, commercial fishing, and habitat degradation have negatively impacted populations of this fish.
Shortnose sturgeon have existed longer than humans have, and are culturally important to both indigenous and other populations, and have an intrinsic value and role to play in their native ecosystems. This particular study began in large part as a response to reported shortnose sturgeon sightings in the reaches of the Connecticut River upstream of the Turners Falls and Vernon Dam. The first round of samples had positive “hits” found in water collected in Northfield; Vernon, Vt.; and Westmoreland, N.H. A second round of sampling is currently underway.
“The CRC received a grant from the Lucy Downing Nisbet Charitable Fund, Bank of America, N.A., cotrustee, in the spring, to fund the beginning study. Our first round of sampling took place in June and July, and we are now involved in the second round of sampling.”
The main goal of the study is to positively detect the presence of shortnose sturgeon upstream of Turners Falls, where they were considered to live by the regulatory and management agencies. It was all inspired, in part, by various reports from community members over the years of shortnose sightings, and the desire to validate the observations and create the consideration and protection they deserve.
“A secondary goal,” Buckman added, “Was to provide additional information on the utility of the best methods for implementing eDNA techniques with a rare species like this in a large river like the Connecticut.”