CT River Lecture Series Spring 2025

New research on the behavior of Atlantic sturgeon aggregating in the Connecticut River  – With Hannes Baumann

Wednesday, April 30; 5-6 pm
Lyme Art Association, Old Lyme

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) are large, iconic fish that already roamed the earth along with dinosaurs, but in human times, they have become critically endangered due to overfishing and habitat degradation. Until the early 1900s, they used to spawn in the Connecticut River, but that ended as their population declined, just like in so many other rivers along the North American Atlantic coast. Since 1998, however, the strict protection of sturgeons under the Endangered Species Act has led to cautious signs of recovery, and the animals appear to rediscover their habitats in Long Island Sound and the Connecticut River. To further the species protection and conservation, researchers from CT DEEP and the University of Connecticut have been monitoring this particular Atlantic sturgeon aggregation, checking on fish size and age, while using telemetry of acoustically tagged animals to find out where and when exactly sturgeon use the different parts of the river. This talk will share some of our recently published findings, which surprisingly showed that sturgeons of all sizes and ages like to swim up the Connecticut River in summer. Are they searching for food, or could some be motivated by spawning there again?

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Fathoming the Ocean – A Deep Dive into Our Relationship with the Sea – With Helen Rozwadowski

Wednesday, May 7; 5-6 pm
Old Lyme Town Hall

Discover the ocean’s story as you’ve never heard it before, one that reveals the ocean’s role in shaping human history and culture, and our ongoing relationship with the sea. Dr. Helen Rozwadowski, a leading historian of ocean science, explores the profound and multifaceted relationship between humans and the oceans. Mankind has had a long and enduring, expansive, profitable, and, at times, chaotic and catastrophic relationship with the waters that cover 70 percent of the earth’s surface. She will examine how curiosity has driven technological, cultural and environmental changes, emphasizing our interconnectedness with the vast waters that cover much of the Earth.

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