Fishery Biologist Adam Kowalski finalized details for the 9th Annual Commercial Fishers Appreciation Dinner. The Alpena FRO annually hosts this dinner for Michigan state-licensed and tribal commercial fishers who assist with a lake sturgeon tagging project in Lake Huron.

Kowalski reserved a pavilion at a park in Bay City to hold the dinner and made other arrangements for the event. A number of prizes and gifts, including life vests, rain gear, t-shirts, and can coolers were purchased for the event to show appreciation, with costs for the event paid for with volunteer funds.

Commercial fishers encounter lake sturgeon by-catch during normal fishing operations for lake whitefish, yellow perch, and channel catfish. The fishers volunteer time tagging and collecting biological information on lake sturgeon in that fashion.

Currently, 10 commercial fishers, operating from one of 16 boats, participate in the study. Approximately 430 lake sturgeon have been tagged since the program began in 1995.