220-pound fish caught in the Hudson River

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) – Talk about the catch of the day.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, fisheries staff members with the Hudson River Estuary Program caught a fish weighing 220 pounds and more than 6 feet long.

The NYS DEC said the fish, an Atlantic sturgeon, was caught last week.

It was captured under a National Marine Fisheries Service endangered species research permit. The New York State DEC said the Atlantic sturgeon is an endangered anadromous fish species that spends most of the year in the ocean, but adults move to the Hudson River at this time of year to spawn.

The capture was part of an annual survey that began in 2006. It is conducted in May and June to track Atlantic sturgeon population trends.

Staff caught the fish with nets, measured it and scanned it for a tag. After taking a piece of fin for genetic analysis, it was weighed and released into the water.