The last known Alabama sturgeon is an even lonelier fish, Mobile's

Press-Register

reports. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official told the newspaper reseachers lost contact last month with the last known specimen of the fish.

The battery in an implanted tag went dead preventing researchers from tracking the fish further. They had followed it for two years and learned much, but never if any more of the fish survive, according to the newspaper. If more sturgeon survive, a new federal "critical habitat" plan for the fish, which took effect July 2, may offer an improved chance to thrive.

