But don't worry they, too, are gentle giants and besides, they inhabit the Amur river in China not the St. John River in New Brunswick. But that isn't to say that we don't have our share of big fish as well. The St. John and Kennebecasis rivers are home to two interesting and distinct species of sturgeon. The largest is the Atlantic sturgeon which can grow to 400 kilograms. A specimen of this magnitude hasn't been seen since the turn of the century but today Atlantics are still caught that top the scales at a respectable 80-100 kilograms.
Atlantic sturgeon make their way into the rivers in the late spring and up to early fall.
They travel up the river above the tide line and spawn in fast-moving water over gravel and rocks. Spawning usually occurs at night. The females spray their eggs into the water column and a few males will fertilize the eggs as they travel downstream. As small particles of sand and silt travel downstream, they also adhere to the sticky egg until it is coated in a protective layer of armor. Mother Nature is a keen inventor.