Sturgeon is Barometer of Great Lakes History & Health
The Great Lakes’ endangered giant, the lake sturgeon, has been swimming in the lakes region for more than 10,000 years! Referred to as “fossils sprung to life,” the fish are also the only species of sturgeon native to the region and the largest of any kind of fish in the Great Lakes – capable of reaching 9 feet long and topping 300 pounds. Heavy commercial fishing of lake sturgeon left them endangered or threatened across the region, but efforts to protect them have helped revive the population of the modern-day dinosaurs in some areas, notably Wisconsin.
Viewer Tip: Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources offers a list of viewing hot-spots to see the dinosaur remnant fish each year during spawning season. See http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/eek/critter/fish/sturgeon.htm for more information.
Season: Spring
This information is provided by the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Learn more at www.greatlakes.org
(Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Alliance for the Great Lakes.)
