Michigan is home to one of the most unique fish species in North America, the Lake Sturgeon. The Lake Sturgeon has long been an important fish to the Great Lakes region. In the early days, the sturgeon was commercially prized for its roe, meat, isinglass and it’s oil which was once used to fuel steamboats. Due to the sturgeons extremely slow growth, needing 30 years or more to reach maturity to spawn, the sturgeon was over fished in the great lakes. To further their decline, degradation of their spawning habit also occurred in the rivers where they spawned.
Since then, commercial fishing for sturgeon in the great lakes has ended and in recent years groups like the St. Clair-Detroit River Sturgeon for Tomorrow which will soon be celebrating their one year anniversary on October 20th. This group has already started to make a great impact in the area. They held a fishing seminar at Lakeside Fishing Shop in St. Clair Shores to teach people just how to catch and handle these fish. A fishing outing this past September 17th was held and I took part in. I was able to land my biggest freshwater fish and best my personal best sturgeon with a 62 and ¼ inch fish that was estimated to be between 80 and 90lbs. The fight took right around 40 mins and will air on an episode of Michigan Out of Doors TV.
The mission of the group is to perpetuate Lake Sturgeon through the support of science and public education by promoting, preserving, and protecting ethical and sustainable fishing; by assisting management agencies and their partners in their efforts to improve sturgeon populations and habitats; by promoting conservation through community outreach and education; and by engaging in other charitable activities deemed proper and necessary to accomplish the foregoing objectives within the Huron-Erie corridor.
One way they are doing this is by taking people fishing. “The best way for people to learn that these fish are here and to appreciate them is to see one. The best way to see one is to go fishing. All good conservation organizations from Ducks Unlimited to the Michigan Ontario Musky Club are started by sportsmen. There was a niche here that needed to be filled. We as sportsman filled it. We are trying to be the example by promoting catch and release or at least very limited harvest of these fish. ” JimFelgenauer the president of St. Clair-Detroit River Sturgeon for Tomorrow.
The group is also working with Mike Thomas at the DNR office in Mount Clemens to design and implement a program whereby those reporting a tagged sturgeon will receive a sturgeon cooperator patch, in the hopes that it will encourage reporting of tagged fish in the Huron-Erie corridor. Their hope is that this could start within the next month. Reporting of the tag numbers is extremely important, it helps the DNR manage and protect these fish.”The St. Clair system is unique in that it has the highest concentration of LakeSturgeon of any location in the Great Lakes. The population is estimated at over 15,000 fish and is completely self sustaining. ” Michael Thomas Fisheries Research Biologist with the Michigan DNR. The tagging program has tagged roughly 2,200 fish roughly 14%, to date since tagging began in 1996. Recently, fisherman down in Huron, Ohio caught a tagged fish that was tagged in the St. Clair River.
My largest Sturgeon to date 90lbs
If you would like to join or support the protection of this great fish and fishery or want to learn more visit St. Clair-Detroit River Sturgeon for Tomorrow at www.stclairsturgeon.org. They are currently looking for new members. To join only costs $20 for an individual membership per year. They also offer family, student, senior and business yearly and life memberships. The group has plans to have booths at outdoor shows and events in the future as well. So keep an eye out for them and stop in and chat with these guys they will make you want to tangle with one of the these ancient river monsters. There is nothing like it on the face of the earth. It’s a fish you must add to your bucket list.
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