tribal member releases one of the first Lake sturgeon into the red lake. - FWS photograph by Michael Barrett

Jeff Lockington and Dan Kumlin of the Genoa NFH releaselake sturgeon into the blackduck landing, while members of the Red Lake Tribe look on. -FWS photo by Mike Meuers

Around 10,000 small, but potentially very large primitive fish known as sturgeon, were reintroduced to Red Lake, Minnesota, October 1st.

Employees of the Red Lake DNR and US Fish and Wildlife Department released the 7.5 inch sturgeon at a landing on the southeast shore near where the Blackduck River enters Lower Red Lake.

Tobacco was offered at the site by Spiritual Elder and Hereditary Chief Greeting Spears. According to Red Lake DNR Director Al Pemberton, the sturgeon eggs came from the Manitou Rapids First Nation in Canada.

“The eggs taken from the Rainy River, were procured and raised by the US Fish and Wildlife Genoa National Fish Hatchery in Wisconsin” said Pemberton. There they were fed brine shrimp at first, then bloodworms, and finally krill to reach their release size.

“Sturgeon were indigenous to Red Lake until the 1940’s when the US Government, administered by the Army Corp of Engineers, placed a dam on the Red Lake River preventing the sturgeon from entering their traditional spawning area”, said Red Lake DNR Administrative Officer Dave Conner, “although other issues contributed as well.” It is hoped that by releasing the 7.5 inch sturgeon into the Blackduck River that they will return there to spawn.

“But it won’t be for a long time”, said Conner, “as sturgeon females take up to 20 years to mature and reproduce, although they should grow fast doubling in size by next summer”.

It is believed the sturgeon will acclimate well to the Blackduck River where there is considerable suitable habitat. The last official sighting of sturgeon in Red Lake was by the Red Lake fisheries in 1943, but sightings were reported by fishermen into the early 1950’s.

“Sturgeon were important culturally to our ancestors”, said Pemberton, “as they not only provided meat but lamp oil, and of course the large fish - not much more difficult to catch than a smaller fish - fed many more people”. Sturgeon dries and smokes well and therefore was easy to store, Pemberton added.

According to Conner, funding for the reintroduction of the fish was provided by the Tribal Wildlife Grant Program, a program that the Red Lake DNR lobbied for and was instrumental in getting created. He said that money for the Tribal Wildlife funds comes from taxes on off-shore oil well drilling, a percentage of that tax going to the fund. In the last century, this large, bony-plated animal, browsing along the bottom, was often regarded as a nuisance because it became entangled in and ripped commercial fishing nets.

Only later did the sturgeon become prized for its meat, eggs (caviar) and oil. A gelatin from the inner lining of its air bladder was used to make isinglass--a substance used as a clarifying agent in jellies, glues and in the isinglass windows of carriages and early cars.

Unfortunately, the sturgeon was exceptionally vulnerable to over fishing, largely because of its slow reproductive cycle. The female requires more than 20 years to mature, and then it spawns only every four to six years during its lifespan.

At the landing, the Blackduck River welcomed the sturgeon, and the sturgeon showed their happiness at finally being released from stainless steel tanks that must have been getting quite crowed with their 10,000 brothers and sisters.

As one watched from the landing, one could see many of these small primitive fish gleefully jumping out of the water over and over on a warm sunny October day. Free at last and happy to be home.