The sturgeon the man is holding in the photograph sent in by Dr. Grossi (AIR Vents 13:6) is a juvenile of either Acipenser fulvescens, the lake sturgeon, or Acipenser oxyrhynchus, the Atlantic sturgeon. (I am leaning toward the latter.) I am fairly certain of this identification based on the color of the scutes relative to the skin, shape of the snout, and relative position of the dorsal and anal fins. I cannot tell you much about the identification of the man. He appears to be wearing a cap with an “R” embroidered on it; this resembles very much the logo for Rutgers University. This man may be a fan of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights sports teams, and he is therefore probably from New Jersey, like most fans of that school. The range of the Atlantic sturgeon happens to include New Jersey. The U.S. Dept. of State may be looking for information on this man because sturgeon fishing is prohibited in New Jersey. Unfortunately the street sign in the background of the photograph is obscured by the tail of the fish and the lettering on the side of the trailer is obscured by the man’s waders. Good luck with the remainder of your investigation.
Prosanta Chakrabarty, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Ichthyology
American Museum of Natural History
New York, NY
(That’s an excerpt from the article “Air Vents,” Published in AIR 14:3.)