A large wooden sturgeon greets visitors at the beginning of the Wolf River Sturgeon Trail. Credit: Jenna Mertz, Wisconsin Sea Grant

Even prior to beginning my new job at Sea Grant in April—an organization with no lack of enthusiasm for fish—I had a soft spot for lake sturgeon, Wisconsin’s largest and longest-living fish. Surpassing six feet, they are longer than I am tall; living well beyond 100 years, they are older than I’ll ever be. Like redwood trees, sturgeon compel you to contemplate the lives and stories of creatures whose size and age greatly exceed your own, and I’ve always wanted to be near one.

Luckily, living in Wisconsin, I didn’t have to travel far to feel chastened by the complexity of the universe. I just needed to get to Lake Winnebago or one of its tributaries, which have some of the healthiest sturgeon populations in North America. So, on May 5, at the suggestion of my colleague, Bonnie, we drove two hours north of Madison to the Wolf River in New London to see sturgeon spawn.

Jenna Mertz

Jenna Mertz. Credit: Wisconsin Sea Grant

Spawning in the Lake Winnebago system usually occurs mid-April through mid-May once water temperatures reach the mid-50s. Sturgeon will then swim upstream to lay their eggs in the rocky shallows of the Wolf, Peshtigo and Lower Fox rivers, where people can catch glimpses of them thrashing along the shoreline. But spawning can be touch-and-go. Changeable weather and water levels affect when and where they spawn and how well you can see them.

To stay apprised of sturgeon activity and ensure the best chance of seeing one, I signed up for daily reports from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Emails detailed the outlook for the day—where the sturgeon were spawning, where they weren’t and whether they were just cruising. And the stars, it seemed, were finally beginning to align. After fizzling in mid-April after a bout of freezing temps, spawning was ramping up again. By early May, we were experiencing a steady and seasonally appropriate warm-up, and it seemed the sweet mid-50s range was here to stay. I was hopeful.

But nobody else was, apparently. The parking lot near the river was vacant except for a white pickup idling near the porta-potties. The riverwalk, too, was empty. I began to feel concerned that the lack of onlookers meant a lack of sturgeon. Perhaps they hadn’t read the latest fish report? A light rain streaked the car windows—perhaps it was the weather?  Bonnie and I grabbed our rain gear and headed to the river.

The water was high and dark. We walked slowly along the path, peering into the shallow water between the large, blond rocks along the shoreline. I was looking for a splashing tail, a dorsal fin, a shadow that moved. People who had seen the spawn described a river armored with fish from bank to bank, but I saw nothing. Was I not peering hard enough? Was it physically possible to peer harder?

And then, a flash. Out of the corner of my eye, a large white belly flipped skyward. I turned to look, but I was too late. The creature had sunk back into the water, and the river, unruffled, resumed its flow.

The Wolf River in New London, Wisconsin. Credit: Jenna Mertz, Wisconsin Sea Grant

“That was a sturgeon, right?” I asked. Bonnie had seen it too. Energized, we continued walking, stopping to inspect the river at each overlook. Leaves, pollen and the occasional twig rolled past. A school of minnows hovered just beneath the surface, but nothing larger than my pinkie finger came into view.

As we waited, I couldn’t shake the feeling that, just beyond sight, the river was thrumming with sturgeon; that if I could dip my hand in, I’d feel the jostling of all those big, ancient fish. But I couldn’t. It was as simple as that. Above water, the birds chattered as we walked back to the car.

In the parking lot, the owner of the white pickup rolled down the window to ask us about our luck. A member of the Sturgeon Guard, he was stationed on the river to educate folks about the fish and to prevent poaching. We were a bit early, he thought, and the water was high. He had talked to the local bait shop and offered us their tip: next week on Wednesday, the fish would peak.

With yet another prediction in hand, we drove back home. I reminded myself that my most memorable wildlife encounters have been unplanned: crossing paths with a black bear in a city park, finding a cecropia moth at a highway rest stop. My agenda couldn’t compel a sturgeon to the surface, nor could it make me privy to their world beneath the water. Which is why it feels so thrilling when it happens—when you’re granted a glimpse of a life other than your own.

The post Predicting the sturgeon spawn first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant

Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/predicting-the-sturgeon-spawn/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=predicting-the-sturgeon-spawn

Jenna Mertz

I Speak for the Fish: Courting Sunfish

I Speak for the Fish is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor Kathy Johnson, coming out the third Monday of each month. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/i-speak-for-the-fish-courting-sunfish/

Kathy Johnson

Lake sturgeon added to endangered list, but things are looking up

Lake sturgeon, one of the largest and oldest species of fish in the Great Lakes, are in more trouble than we thought.

In December, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature downgraded its status from Least Concern to Endangered based on shrinking populations over the past three generations, which is between 250 and 300 years for this long-lived fish.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/lake-sturgeon-added-to-endangered-list-but-things-are-looking-up/

Brian Owens

I Speak for the Fish: Teamwork, smooth swimming and other lessons from Great Lakes fish

Watching how fish move, how they use the water to their advantage has made me a better diver. Underwater, I strive to be as trim as a walleye and as effortless as a sturgeon. And while my cameraman husband hunts for photo ops with the stealth of a muskie, I can usually be found frolicking in the shallows like a carefree sunfish. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/speak-fish-teamwork-swimming-lessons/

Kathy Johnson

Sturgeon Restoration: Starting anew in Sturgeon and Saginaw bays

This story is the third in a four-part series looking at sturgeon restoration efforts.

Lake sturgeon restoration efforts are taking place across the Great Lakes basin.

But what that restoration looks like is entirely dependent on location and other factors, such as whether or not any lake sturgeon remain in the area.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/sturgeon-restoration-starting-anew-in-sturgeon-and-saginaw-bays/

Kathy Johnson

See the Sturgeon: The many ways to see, touch and appreciate sturgeon around the region

When the Milwaukee River Lake Sturgeon Reintroduction Project began 16 years ago, success wasn’t immediately apparent.

Having a solid scientific foundation for the project wasn’t the problem: sturgeon were raised in the Milwaukee River so they would return there to spawn when the time came. The problem was that lake sturgeon don’t return to a river to spawn for around 15 years.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ways-see-touch-appreciate-sturgeon-great-lakes-region/

Noah Bock

Hold on! 240-pound fish, age 100, caught in Detroit River

DETROIT (AP) — Now that’s a whopper — a very old whopper!

A 240-pound (108.8 kilograms) sturgeon that could be more than 100 years old was caught last week in the Detroit River by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/05/ap-240-pound-fish-sturgeon-detroit-river/

The Associated Press

Short Season: Sturgeon spearing plays big role in conservation efforts for the ancient fish

When Chris Wilson speared a 63-inch, 61-pound sturgeon, it was only moments after he lugged the fish out of his shanty before a small crowd appeared. Some trotted over from nearby shanties and one man rode up on an ATV – he wasn’t fishing but simply spending the morning checking out the season.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/03/sturgeon-spearing-conservation-efforts-fish/

James Proffitt

Sturgeon Stocking: COVID-19 puts pause on popular sturgeon release program

The Toledo Zoo’s popular lake sturgeon stocking event won’t happen this year, though a pause in the program – thanks to the international COVID-19 pandemic – won’t hurt the project.

“In a nutshell, our partners out of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alpena, Michigan, and Genoa, Wisconsin, are the ones who collect the eggs,” explained Kent Bekker, director of conservation at the zoo.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/09/sturgeon-stocking-covid-19-release-program/

James Proffitt

In a few short weeks, the Aquatic Sciences Center (ASC) will bid a fond farewell to Morgan Witte, who has served as a graduate project assistant since fall 2018. Witte, who works mainly with the Wisconsin Water Library, will graduate in December with a master’s degree from UW-Madison’s Information School. Senior Special Librarian Anne Moser has been her primary mentor at the ASC.

Morgan Witte holds a sturgeon decoy made by master carver George Schmidt and her most recent award. (Photo: Bonnie Willison)

Witte departs with two awards for her work on sturgeon-related projects that have extended the reach of “People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish,” the well-loved book written by Kathy Kline, Fred Binkowski and Ronald Bruch. This has included cataloging and finding a permanent digital home for related audio files, as well as a well-attended exhibition on all things sturgeon in Fond du Lac. A poster Witte created about the sturgeon work was honored in the “Best Content” category at the recent yearly conference of the Wisconsin Library Association. The poster also won “Best Content” earlier this year at a conference specifically for academic librarians. (Learn more here.)

Said Moser, “Morgan has done an extraordinary job here at the ASC during her graduate program. These awards are well-deserved recognition of her innovation, hard work and contributions.”

Witte, who is graduating a semester early, has found her time at the Water Library eye opening. Robust, statewide outreach and educational programming are a major part of the library’s mission—something not typical for an academic library on a university campus.

The library collects materials one might not expect, such as children’s books and curriculum materials. It also develops STEM kits for kids that anyone in Wisconsin (like classroom teachers, librarians and parents) can borrow for free.

“Because of the materials this library collects,” said Witte, “I think that lends itself a lot to that outreach mission. I really hope to take that with me to wherever I work after this, because it’s so great to see not only the impact the library has on communities, but the impact those communities then have on the library. That influences your collection and what pieces of your collection you choose to highlight at what times of the year. And building those connections in a community can really strengthen the library, as well as the other way around.”

Her experience at the ASC has also given Witte exposure to its two programs, Wisconsin Sea Grant and the Water Resources Institute. “An inspiring part of this job is I’ve had a chance to learn from people who are doing amazing and innovative things in their respective fields.”

When Witte leaves the ASC, she’ll embark on an exciting new chapter of her life: relocating to Colorado to join her fiancé, who recently landed his dream job in Fort Collins as a wildlife geneticist. There, Witte—who is originally from Mount Horeb, Wisconsin—will job-hunt as she puts down roots in her new community.

Whether she lands in a public, academic or government library, she’s eager to apply her background in the sciences with the skills she honed at the Water Library, especially with regard to outreach and public programming.

She’s been a great asset to the ASC for the past year and half, and we wish her well in her future endeavors!

Original Article

Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant

Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/morgan-witte-honored/

Jennifer Smith