Every spring, Atlantic sturgeon return to the Hudson River from their overwintering grounds in the coastal Atlantic Ocean. Large juvenile sturgeon arrive in search of food in the river’s plentiful benthic foraging habitats, while even larger, mature adult sturgeon travel to the spawning grounds in the tidal freshwater portion of the river to ensure the arrival of the next generation. Accustomed to the depths of their ocean home, Atlantic sturgeon spend much of their time in the deep channels and holes of the Hudson and rarely wander into the shallow, off- channel habitats. The bottom of the river channel is 30 feet deep at its shallowest and plunges to more than 200 feet deep near West Point with many areas deeper than 100 feet.