Lake sturgeon fishing and spearfishing seasons and other management plans will continue in Wisconsin and other states under a decision announced Monday by federal officials.
After several years of review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that lake sturgeons do not need to be listed under the Endangered Species Act.
The service found that although lake sturgeons have declined in parts of their range over the past century due to overfishing and loss of spawning habitat, measures such as fish stockings still contribute to the species’ conservation and resilience.
“Today’s announcement shows the power of collaborative conservation and its impact on species like lake sturgeon,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Regional Director Will Meeks said in a statement. “The fact that we are seeing an increasing number of lake sturgeon populations spawning in their historic habitat is a clear indication that recovery efforts are making progress. This success is due to many partners, including states, tribes, local organizations and national Other agencies around the world work together to protect the ecological environment.
Monday’s announcement stems from a 2018 petition by the Center for Biological Diversity asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list lake sturgeons as protected under the Endangered Species Act throughout their range or in several distinct population groups.
The next year, the agency concluded that the petition provided “substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing may be warranted” and initiated a status review process. Its deadline for publishing its findings is June 30.
Wisconsin has one of the largest lake sturgeon populations
Lake sturgeons are one of the oldest fish species in North America and are native to at least two dozen states in the central, southern and eastern United States, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In Wisconsin, they occur in Lakes Michigan and Superior as well as in areas such as the Wisconsin, Chippewa and Flambeau, Wolf and Fox rivers.
The population of lake sturgeon in the Winnebago system (Lake Winnebago, Butte des Morts, Poygan, and Winneconne lakes, and the Fox and Wolf rivers) is approximately 35,000 adults, making it one of the most abundant lake sturgeons in North America.
Eggs from the Winnebago system have been used to boost sturgeon populations in other areas of Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee River, and in other states, including Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee.
The Winnebago system also has a sturgeon spearfishing season in February.
Wisconsin sturgeon advocates worry that ESA’s listing could ban annual fishing seasons and other management actions.
“I’m very excited and relieved to hear this news,” said Don Mielke of Menasha, a sturgeon spearer, open water angler and Winnebago System Leader of the Volunteer Sturgeon Guard. “I’m excited to continue this enthusiasm.”
Endangered species designation could eliminate sturgeon spearing incidents in Wisconsin
Amid concerns about potential listing, a bipartisan group of Wisconsin elected officials wrote a letter in December urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to exclude the Badger State’s sturgeon from any potential regulatory changes. outside.
In January, Rep. Mike Gallagher introduced the SPEAR Act, a bill that would prevent Wisconsin’s sturgeon from being included in a potential ESA listing.
On Jan. 22, 500 people packed the Stockbridge High School gymnasium to show support for removing the state’s sturgeon from the ESA list.
Ron Bruch, a retired fisheries director for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and former head of the sturgeon program, said Monday’s announcement was “good news.”
“This shows that all the work in lake sturgeon management is working,” Bruch said. “Across their range, lake sturgeon are in better shape now than they were 100 years ago. The data shows that, and the public does support all the programs that are being implemented to help sturgeons.”
A Wisconsin DNR spokesman said Monday that the agency is “reviewing the decision and cannot comment at this time.”
Center for Biological Diversity says overall population decline requires endangered species protections for lake sturgeon
The Center for Biological Diversity, the organization that requested the review, disagrees with the USFWS’s findings.
“This decision is bad for both lake sturgeon and anglers because overall, the species is experiencing a steep decline,” Jeff Miller, senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. While some populations are well managed, adult fish populations remain a fraction of historical levels despite decades of recovery efforts, despite scientific findings that each watershed may contain genetically unique fish species. The Department of Wildlife and Wildlife has decided not to protect different regional populations.
What qualifies a species for Endangered Species Act protection?
According to the European Space Agency, a species may be determined to be endangered or threatened due to any of the following five factors: current or threatened destruction, alteration or reduction of its habitat or range; overexploitation for commerce, Recreational, scientific or educational purposes; disease or predation; inadequacies in existing monitoring mechanisms; or other natural or man-made factors affecting their continued existence.
The department said it used “the best available science” in its review. This work includes a species status assessment report for the lake sturgeon, which includes detailed information on the lake sturgeon’s taxonomy, life history, ecology, current status, and projected future status.
The agency found lake sturgeon not worthy of listing throughout or part of its range.
Additionally, although the petition includes nine potentially distinct population segments (Lake Superior, Western Lake Michigan, Red River, Lake Rainey/Raney River/Lake of the Woods, Upper Mississippi River, Missouri River, Ohio River, Arkansas-White River, and Lower Mississippi River) USFWS found that each population was not discrete “because it was not significantly separated from other lake sturgeon populations and there was evidence of migration and movement between each petitioned DPS and lake sturgeon populations outside the petitioned DPS.” evidence of.
Fish and Wildlife Service promotes sturgeon stocking
A review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that the release of captive lake sturgeons is the “most extensive, ongoing conservation action” for the species.
According to the service, the stocking program resulted in an increase in adult lake sturgeon numbers and spawning behavior.
Although populations have not reached historic levels, these successful programs have “both increased existing populations and returned lake sturgeons to areas where they had disappeared, such as the northern Red, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, the central Mississippi and the Coosa river,” the agency said.
Other successful lake sturgeon conservation efforts include restoring habitat connectivity through dam removal, fish passages and habitat restoration, according to the service.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in its summary that lake sturgeon populations, which are currently on the rise, are expected to continue rising in the future, increasing the species’ resilience and redundancy.
“After evaluating the best available information, lake sturgeon are not in danger of extinction throughout or in any significant portion of their range, nor are they likely to be in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future,” the service wrote. “Accordingly, we do not believe that listing lake sturgeon as an endangered or threatened species under the Act is justified.”
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