MADISON, Wis. (AP) Federal wildlife officials announced Monday that lake sturgeons do not need Endangered Species Act protection and said a stocking program has helped return the prehistoric fish to areas where they disappeared.
The decision ends a petition filed by the Arizona Center for Biological Diversity in May 2018 asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list lake sturgeon as an endangered or threatened species. Such lists would make it illegal to harvest the fish, but without them the popular sturgeon harvest seasons in states like Wisconsin and Michigan could continue.
The center believes that overfishing and habitat degradation have severely depleted the species. The center said dams blocked spawning and rearing habitat, and water contamination and diversion caused irreparable damage.
Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the center, said it’s a disappointing decision because, although some populations are well managed, overall, lake sturgeon numbers have declined dramatically. Endangered Species Act protection will lead to comprehensive restoration programs and continued funding to restore these iconic fish to their original habitat.
Agency officials said stockings help increase the number of adult lake sturgeons and increase spawning, said Chuck Traxler, deputy director for the Wildlife Service’s Midwest region.Listing these creatures is like going to the emergency room, and rebounding species don’t need this level of protection, he said
That doesn’t mean everything is fine now, he said. That means keep up the good work.
The agency acknowledged in its December assessment that the population had not reached historic highs, but that after stocking they returned to the northern Red, Tennessee and Cumberland, Mississippi and Coosa rivers between Minnesota and North Dakota. parts of the area.
Dam removal and habitat restoration efforts have also helped, the agency said, citing 2015 modifications to a dam on Wisconsin’s Menominee River to allow spawning sturgeon to flow upstream, and the removal of the Brecksville Dam on Ohio’s Cuyahoga River in 2020.
The agency also noted that coral reef restoration efforts in the corridor connecting Lakes Huron and Erie have created sites for sturgeons to spawn, noting that nine of 43 toxic sites along the Great Lakes coast have been cleaned up.
The assessment also noted that adaptable species should be able to withstand warmer water flows caused by climate change.
Lake sturgeons are ancient North American freshwater fish. They are essentially living fossils, first appearing about 136 million years ago when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. They resemble torpedoes, with a back and a nose. They can grow up to 7 feet (2 meters) long and weigh up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms). Men typically live to be about 50 years old. Women can live between 80 and 150 years.
They are found in the upper and lower Mississippi River basin and the Great Lakes region. Commercial anglers considered lake sturgeon a nuisance because they tore through fishing nets, leading to widespread overfishing in the 1800s and continuing into the 20th century.
Lake sturgeons are not reproducing fast enough to make up for the losses. It takes up to thirty years for them to reach egg-laying age, and even then, they don’t lay eggs every year. Many do not survive the return to their natal waters to spawn. Wildlife Services compared the loss of lake sturgeon to the massive destruction of American buffalo.
Twenty states have banned sturgeon fishing. Fourteen of those states have listed lake sturgeon as a threatened or endangered species. For 30 years, volunteers and Wisconsin natural resource officers have been protecting spawning sturgeon on the Wolf River from poachers.
Hook-and-line lake sturgeon fishing seasons remain in place in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Michigan and Wisconsin hold sturgeon spearing seasons each winter in which anglers drill holes in the lake ice to spear sturgeon as they swim by.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported that 432 sturgeon were caught in February, down from 1,405 in 2023. Michigan officials limited the total sturgeon catch to six, but ultimately canceled it due to warm weather and unsafe ice conditions.
Lori Nordstrom, assistant director of ecological services for the Wildlife Service’s Midwest region, said seasons in these states are managed so tightly that harvests don’t affect the entire species.
For example, Michigan and Wisconsin allow anglers to catch just one sturgeon per year. Minnesota anglers must release all sturgeon caught in inland waters. Wisconsin regulations aim to keep catch rates below 5 percent, with all tagging fees donated to the state’s sturgeon conservation program, according to the Wildlife Service.
Leaders of Sturgeon Tomorrow, a nonprofit that works to recover sturgeon in Wisconsin and Michigan and supports harvests, on Monday praised Wildlife Services’ decision. They said the ruling allows states to continue managing sturgeons and continue fishing, which in turn helps researchers learn more about the ancient creatures.
“We’re very happy with it,” said Jim Patt, president of the Southwest Chapter of Tomorrow’s Sturgeons, one of five chapters along Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin that holds spearfishing seasons. This is a big deal. We can continue our research, keep our population strong, and continue what we’ve been doing.
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