In the field on the James River, Dr. Matt Balazik, a research ecologist with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Environmental Laboratory, stays as close as possible to the cutterhead dredger, Lexington, to monitor Atlantic sturgeon and their responses to dredging. Balazik’s research is demonstrating that dredging has no impact on spawning sturgeon and may lead to relaxed time-of-year restrictions on dredging. The large boat on the right, Asia Spirit, is a cargo ship using the federal navigation channel.