Lake sturgeon spawn in the lower Fox River, Wisconsin. Due to limited water flow, this habitat can become dewatered shortly after sturgeon have deposited eggs. - Photo by Rob Elliott

 The Services Green Bay Fishery Resources Office, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wisconsin DNR, the Green Bay Ecological Services Office, and Thilmany Paper Company have implemented a data collection plan to determine options for providing necessary water flow over habitat used by lake sturgeon for reproduction in the Lower Fox River tributary to Green Bay.  

Through negotiations with FERC and the hydroelectric facility operator, Thilmany Paper, the Service was successful in getting an article included in the FERC license that requires the development of a Sturgeon Protection Plan addressing the need to provide adequate water flow over habitat used by sturgeon during their reproduction season.  The data collection efforts are in support of developing this plan.

Water level management within the Wolf River-Lake Winnebago-Fox River drainage basin is a highly regulated process that requires the Army Corps to accommodate a multitude of resource needs and user interests that include hydropower generation, pleasure boating, fishing, emergent plant restoration, and flood control. 

Sturgeon returning to spawn in the lower Fox River below the De Pere Dam are often literally getting the short end of the straw, being subject to whatever variable water flow is left over. This situation often results in the spawning grounds becoming dewatered during the egg incubation and larval development period. 

The collection of flow data resulting from operational modifications at the dam (including the selective placement of flash boards and the occasional decrease in electric generation) are being measured to determine options for improving water flow over the spawning grounds during periods of low water flow.

Contact: Rob Elliott, USFWS, Green Bay FRO, robert_elliott@fws.gov.