Young of the year lake sturgeon in a culture tank at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery, Genoa, WI.

The Genoa National Fish Hatchery (NFH) has been working to restore lake sturgeon populations, which have declined due to habitat loss, pollution and overfishing in the waters of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri and Tennessee. Genoa NFH is recognized for its rearing program and as a provider of healthy lake sturgeon at various lifestages for research projects regarding the biology and management of the species.

A new project supported by the Great Lakes Fisheries Trust and conducted by the Biology Division of the Illinois Institute of Technology has been initiated to study the neurobiology of lake sturgeon olfactory development. 

During this study the Genoa National Fish Hatchery is providing approximately 150 young lake sturgeon on a weekly basis for two months for cellular and molecular analysis.  The goal of this research is to determine the age when the lake sturgeon olfactory system is highly sensitive to the environment and developed to the level where a homing response may be possible.  If determined, this information may provide useful data on the migration, homing and reproductive behavior of lake sturgeon.   

Providing animals for research studies can significantly increase the knowledge base for the species and therefore aid in management and restoration efforts.  Genoa NFH recognizes the information needs for management agencies and therefore has been an active participant in numerous research projects including several species of fish and mussels.