Sightings of Atlantic sturgeon reported along Finland’s southern coastline

Sightings of the Atlantic sturgeon, a species previously considered lost from the Baltic Sea, have been reported across Finland’s southern coastline. According to Teppo Vehanen, a researcher at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), the Atlantic sturgeon was observed ten times in Finnish territorial waters last year, with sightings ranging from the eastern border to the Turku Archipelago. Notably, two sightings occurred near the border in Virolahti during the summer of 2023, with one confirmed only this week.

Earlier this month, a fisherman in the Turku Archipelago caught an Atlantic sturgeon, which was released back into the Baltic Sea after being photographed. This marks the only sighting of the sturgeon so far this year. Vehanen speculated that environmental factors affecting annual migrations might explain the rarity of these sturgeon encounters.

The Natural Resources Institute is asking for reports of any Atlantic sturgeon sightings along Finland’s coastline. In Estonia, a restocking effort in the Narva River has already introduced 200,000 juvenile sturgeons. While most sightings have come from Estonia, the effects of restocking are now becoming evident in Finland as well.

The Atlantic sturgeon was driven to near extinction in the Baltic Sea due to pollution, damming, and overfishing, with the last known individual likely caught in Estonian waters in the mid-1990s. This species, which can live up to 100 years and weigh several hundred kilos, is essential for restoring the Baltic ecosystem’s biodiversity and establishing self-sustaining populations. However, sturgeon are not being reintroduced into Finnish rivers due to the prevalence of dams, which hinder their natural reproduction. The last reported sighting of wild Atlantic sturgeon in Finland dates back to the 1930s.