Should River Monsters start filming in Massachusetts? On Wednesday, four women were canoeing on the North River in Quincy, just 20 miles south of Boston, when they paddled across a dead fish. But this wasn’t any old trout. The carcass they came across was that of a six-foot long, 75 pound female ancient Atlantic sturgeon, according to the New England Aquarium.

Rather than scream and paddle in the other direction, the four women did what any other ladies would do, of course: They pulled the sturgeon into their boat, and contacted local wildlife authorities. The dead sturgeon was then brought to the New England Aquarium, where the head veterinarian, performed a necropsy on the fish. The carcass will be donated to the Harvard’s Museum of Natural History.

This isn't the first sturgeon spotting in the Boston area, though. In February, a local accountant spotted a four-foot long sturgeon swimming in the Charles River. He snapped photos on his cell phone, which we published here a few months back. Check it out!

Earlier this year, the Atlantic sturgeon was deemed “endangered” in certain areas of the East Coast by the National Marine Fisheries Service. However, during colonial times, the species ran rampant in the Bay State, particularly in coastal rivers. They began dying off in the mid-1800s due to dams and poorer water quality. In their prime, sturgeons can grow up to 14 feet in length, weigh up to 800 pounds and live about 60 years. Talk about a beast of a fish!

Where will the next Atlantic sturgeon be spotted next? We're taking bets.

Photo credit: Kerry McNally