Group: Bridge construction killing sturgeon in Hudson River

An environmental group believes the construction of a bridge to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge is responsible for killing an endangered species in the Hudson River: Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon, the same kinds that produce caviar.

Riverkeeper believes that propellers on vessels being used for the bridge project are killing sturgeon in record numbers.

Riverkeeper has now filed a lawsuit with the federal government asking it to implement measures that would help prevent more sturgeon from being killed. Their recommendations include slowing down vessels and using cages around propellers.

Paul Gallay, the president of the group, believes killing more sturgeon could have an environmental ripple effect

However the governor's office released this statement to Fox 5. In part it reads: "Contrary to Riverkeeper's claims, no sturgeon deaths have been definitively attributed to the project to date." The governor's office also said that commercial traffic may be to blame for the dead sturgeon. The bridge project site has 36 motorized vessels with propellers while as many as 16,000 other commercial vessels transit the Tappan Zee Bridge area every year, the governor's office said.