Chesaning Dam on the Shaiwassee River taken during the summer of 2006. - FWS photo by James Boase

Beginning April 17^th Fishery Biologists James Boase and Jim McFee from the Alpena Fishery Resources Office (FRO) and volunteers Larry Hess, Barry Pulaski, and Larry Dinsmore began sampling for the evidence of lake sturgeon spawning in the Saginaw River watershed.  This is the third and final year of the assessment work in the Saginaw watershed.  Alpena FRO has used a number of volunteers from both the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge and their Partners Organization “Friends of the Shiawassee” during all three years and there assistance has been invaluable.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that lake sturgeon use the Saginaw River watershed during the spring spawning season, but very little is known about the importance of this watershed to the lake sturgeon population of Lake Huron. The primary goal of this project is to document lake sturgeon use of the Saginaw River watershed for spawning, one of the criteria for delisting the Saginaw River as an Area of Concern as stated in the Remedial Action Plan.  A number of other partners have been involved with this project including the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, USGS Great Lakes Science Center, Dow Chemical, and the City of Frankenmuth. This project is funded through the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network (WIN) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF).

In 2005 and 2006 efforts were focused on capturing adult lake sturgeon as they were expected to migrate into the watershed in the spring to spawn and, if spawning took place, capture and collect their eggs.  We used setlines in an effort to collect adults fishing mainly in the deepest sections of the Saginaw River where the Cass, Shiawassee and Tittabawassee rivers converge.  Although one adult lake sturgeon was sighted below the Dow Dam on the Tittabawassee River in 2005 high water prevented the capture of the fish and no spawning was documented that year. 

In addition to setlines, egg-mats were also used.  Egg-mats have been used all three years and have been placed below the Dow Dam on Tittabawassee River, the Frankenmuth Dam on the Cass River and below the Chesaning Dam on the Shiawassee River.  During 2005 and 2006 eggs collected from the egg-mats were taken back the USGS laboratory at the Great Lakes Science Center in Ann Arbor and incubated until hatching.  Hatched fish larvae were then raised until their yolk sacs were absorbed and the fish could be positively identified.  Most eggs collected in the system were either walleye or various sucker species, no lake sturgeon eggs have been collect thus far. 

After three years of no lake sturgeon spawning documented in the watershed our final assessment will focus on the suitability of the system to support lake sturgeon during spawning, determine if habitat is available for egg survival, and if sufficient nursery habitat is available for larvae and juveniles during that first few months post hatching.  Assessment of the habitat will take place during summer and fall 2007.