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'Prehistoric' Looking Sturgeon Washes Up on Red Hook Rocks

By Ben Fractenberg | July 2, 2015 3:50pm | Updated on July 5, 2015 8:42pm
 A six-foot sturgeon washed up on the rocks behind Fairway Market in Red Hook, witnesses said.
A six-foot sturgeon washed up on the rocks behind Fairway Market in Red Hook, witnesses said.
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Eric Sneddon

A 6-foot sturgeon washed up on the shores of Red Hook last week, witnesses told DNAinfo New York.

The red-hued fish with white, bony plates along its back was seen lying on the rocks behind the Fairway Market near Pier 44 and hasn’t appeared to have decayed too much, according to Eric Sneddon, 49.

Sneddon, who works as a manager at Fairway, has apparently seen some pretty gruesome stuff.

“I’ve seen a dead body and a leg,” he said. “I’ve never seen a fish.”

Sneddon reported the fish, which is endangered, with the New York State Department Environmental Conservation on June 29. 

The fish was likely killed after a large boat struck it, puncturing its back, a DEC spokeswoman said via email. 

It's not an uncommon occurrence in the spring or early summer when the fish are swimming back into the Hudson to spawn, the spokeswoman added.  

The state implemented harvesting moratorium on the fish in 1996 after it became apparent the species was being over-fished.

Atlantic sturgeon are still affected by dumping materials from dredging in the ocean or being unintentionally killed by people fishing for other fish, according to the DEC’s website.

The toothless bottom-feeders found in the Hudson River can grow up to 8 feet in length and weigh more than 200 pounds. They can live more than 60 years.

Sneddon described the fish as looking “prehistoric.”

“A customer came up to me and said, ‘You have a dinosaur on the rocks,’” the manager said.

If you see a dead sturgeon floating in the water or on the shore you should notify the DEC by calling 845-256-3071.