On a December sampling trip on the James River, VCU researcher Dr. Matt Balazik and fisheries technician Carrie Fox caught several juvenile Atlantic sturgeon, a federally endangered species that can live for decades. The work is part of a long-term effort to track sturgeon populations and better understand juvenile survival rates.

Balazik is now partnering with the Upper Mattaponi Tribe to apply these research techniques to the Mattaponi River, helping expand sturgeon monitoring while training tribal fisheries staff to lead future research.

Read the full story written by Madeline Reinsel here