Sturgeon were plentiful in West Florida until they were hammered by gill nets into near oblivion in the 1930s, but we don’t remember hearing of a behemouth like this one which was caught recently at the mouth of Rainy River in Minnesota.

Four anglers took turns for six hours reeling in the 11-footer that weighed more than 1000 pounds.

A limited non-commercial take is allowed and stocks are making a slow comeback according to fishery managers. Florida is also nurturing a program to bring back the unusual fish famed more for its caviar though the meat is excellent too.

Sturgeon are called “living dinosaurs” and number around 5,000 in Florida, mostly in the Suwannee River. They made news four years ago when several of them jumped into the air and accidentally collided with boaters, causing severe injuries in some cases. Our “Gulf sturgeon” is one of some eight species native to North America.