MORRISTOWN -- Guest speaker Tom Brooking, from NY Sturgeon for Tomorrow, will be at the Gateway Museum on Thursday, July 19, at 6:30 p.m. to talk about efforts to restore sturgeon populations in New York State.

This presentation is aligned with the recent opening of the Gateway Museum’s new exhibit entitled “Big Fish: Making a Living From the River,” which opened on June 30.

This display showcases sturgeon and muskie fishing in the St. Lawrence River.

Life-sized models of these enormous fish are mounted on graphic displays which tell the fascinating story of what it was like to fish the river before 1970.

Mr. Brooking’s affiliation with Cornell University gives him frequent access to the waterways where the fish are stocked.

He also has stories to tell of capturing these fish as part of the university studies. A crowd favorite is his 125-year-old preserved sturgeon that was found on the shore of Lake Erie.

Three members of the sturgeon family inhabit New York waters: shortnose sturgeon, lake sturgeon, and Atlantic sturgeon.

The lake sturgeon is found in the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, and is listed as a threatened species in New York. The state’s Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon are both found in the Hudson River, and the shortnose sturgeon is also on the state’s list of endangered species.

There is no charge for the lecture.