NEW! - Use the new Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Tributary Database and GIS to find information about lake sturgeon in a river near you.
Funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Trust.

Lake Sturgeon Committee

Lake sturgeon are native to the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem Team Lake Sturgeon Committee is actively involved with lake sturgeon restoration and rehabilitation through information sharing, addressing unique life characteristics of lake sturgeon biology, coordination of partners, and promoting lake sturgeon education.

The mission of the Lake Sturgeon Committee is to involve and coordinate lake sturgeon restoration and rehabilitation activites of all programs to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and to provide sound science, coordination, and assistance to our partners so that they will be aware of the challenges facing lake sturgeon restoration and the current conditions of stocks and spawning populations. Working together we are able to obtain more resources to accomplish specific restoration goals through stock assessment, necessary protection, habitat protection/restoration, fish passage, pollution control, education, stocking and invasive species controls, resulting ultimately in self-sustaining lake sturgeon populations throughout the Great Lakes, with economic benefits from recreation, fishing, and Native American use, and ecological benefit to the Great Lakes fish community.

The Lake Sturgeon Committee is addressing lake sturgeon issues by:

Coordinating Lake Sturgeon Meetings (funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Trust) to foster communication and exchange of information relating to the study, management, and restoration of lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes Basin and to address research and assessment needs and issues, 12/2002 Meeting Proceedings -pdf Develping an interactive web-based GIS map and meta-database of Great Lakes lake sturgeon information (Lake Sturgeon Decision Support System (GIS/DSS Fact Sheet -pdf)), Securing funding for studies to collect distribution, movement, growth, and reproduction information on lake sturgeon captured by commercial fishers in the Great Lakes, Coordinating and funding outreach materials for lake sturgeon education including creation and management of the Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon Web Site, preparation of lake sturgeon plastomounts and Lake Sturgeon Brochures -pdf, Leading efforts to coordinate and standardize lake sturgeon genetics activities in the Great Lakes Basin, and Reinvigorating efforts to develop a Great Lakes Basin lake sturgeon rehabilitation plan.

Over 40 partnerships have been formed between federal and state agencies, tribal governments, Canadian agencies, academic institutions, commercial fishers, sport anglers, private organizations and individuals in order to conserve, protect and enhance lake sturgeon populations throughout the Great Lakes. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offices are working together with other partners to better understand the lake sturgeon's unique life history and meet rehabilitation challenges.

Sturgeon photo (top left) courtesy of Shedd Aquarium.

Department of InteriorU.S. Fish and WildlifeUSA.gov
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