A dead fish on the shores of Mobile Bay has turned into a full-circle science lesson for middle schoolers in Mobile.
Tami May, a science teacher at Clark-Shaw Magnet School, stumbled on the unusual carcass while out fishing earlier this month and reported it to NOAA. At first glance she mistook it for an alligator gar because of its distinctive mouth — until a friend identified it as something far rarer: a Gulf sturgeon.
A 200-million-year-old species with a story
The Gulf sturgeon is a living fossil that has existed for more than 200 million years. In 1991 it became one of the first Gulf of Mexico species placed on the endangered species list, largely because overfishing for their eggs — caviar — devastated populations.
Dr. Mike Andres, a research professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, visited Clark-Shaw to speak with students and dissect the fish. Internal tags revealed the adult male had originally been captured in the Pearl River back in 2018, allowing researchers to trace where it had traveled and how much it had grown since.
“It was great because I mean a science teacher found a dead sturgeon, reported it and we were able to track everything through together and bring it full circle while also providing class experience for a lot of folks,” Andres said.
Bringing real science into the classroom
May also invited the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to take part, giving students a look at how working marine scientists actually do their jobs. Seventh graders who watched the dissection came away impressed — one marveled at how the sturgeon migrates along the Gulf Coast, another at anatomy surprisingly similar to humans.
May said she hopes the experience pushes students to get outside and explore, because you never know what you’ll find.