Mature lake sturgeon returning to spawn in the Peshtigo River, Wisconsin. - Photo by Rob Elliott

During FY 2006, Green Bay Fishery Resources Office Fishery Biologist Rob Elliott presented several written and oral status reports and perspectives on the status and rehabilitation progress of lake sturgeon in Lake Michigan .  Included were reports to the Lake Michigan Committee and Lake Michigan Technical Committee at their annual and technical meetings, and presentations at the EPA State of Lake Michigan Conference and at the Great Lakes Region Native American Fish and Wildlife Society Annual Conference. 

These reports and presentations included summaries of findings of recent status assessment projects and rehabilitatetion efforts and provide benchmarks for the current state of lake sturgeon in Lake Michigan.

Lake sturgeon are severely depressed throughout Lake Michigan. Their rehabilitation depends on the collection and reporting of critical information on status and trends observed in remnant populations.

Remnant populations of Lake Sturgeon currently persist in eight Lake Michigan tributaries.  A few of these populations are of reasonable size or appear to be increasing in numbers while others are at critically low abundance.  Rehabilitation efforts have been initiated in several of these rivers and reintroductions have recently been initiated in four other rivers where sturgeon have been extirpated. 

Information on the status of these populations is being used to develop a rehabilitation plan for lake sturgeon in Lake Michigan through the coordinated efforts of several state, tribal and federal agencies and area Universities participating in a Lake Michigan Lake Sturgeon Task Group, under the Lake Michigan Committee. 

The Lake Michigan Committee is the primary interjurisdictional body that addresses the lakewide management of fish stocks of common concern and the progress toward achieving the goals and objectives for the Lake Michigan fish community. 

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