MARYLAND (WBFF) — Maryland biologists got a real-life brush with a local legend this fall when they caught “Chessie” — the largest female Atlantic sturgeon ever recorded in their Marshyhope Creek gillnetting survey — before tagging and sending her back into the Chesapeake Bay.
The massive sturgeon shares a name with the Bay’s mythical sea monster, but this one is very much real. She measured just shy of 7 feet 10 inches and topped 200 pounds, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
After her brief cameo on shore, biologists outfitted her with three tags, including an acoustic transmitter, to track her travels in and beyond the Bay.
Atlantic sturgeon in the Chesapeake are listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. DNR officials say tracking fish like Chessie helps researchers understand where the species moves and how to better protect it, while also contributing to broader studies along the Atlantic coast.
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