Two members of the Region 3 dive team traveled to the Menominee Indian Reservation on October 30 to assist the tribe in monitoring lake sturgeon that have been reintroduced annually into Reservation waters of the Wolf River between 1995 and 2006.

To monitor movement, biologists initially tagged fish with radio transmitters at the time of their reintroduction; battery life has long since expired.  Conditions on the river render traditional methods of sturgeon sampling difficult and inefficient.  Although tribal biologists had received reports of sturgeon sightings, they had hoped to confirm the sturgeons continued presence with the help of SCUBA divers. 

Weather cooperated with air temperatures reaching the low 50s with light wind and full sun.  Water temperatures were 49-50° F.  La Crosse NFWCO biologists Ann Runstrom and Scott Yess conducted two dives, observing sturgeon on the second dive.  As divers and fishery biologists who admire this ancient species, it was a thrill to observe and swim near them in their native habitat.