Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
LAKE STURGEON measuring at least 7 inches were released into the Ontonagon River on Lake Superior as part of a Michigan effort to revitalize their numbers. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources supplied the photo.
By RALPH ANSAMI
Ontonagon - The Ontonagon River was among several streams stocked by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in an effort to revitalize Michigan's sturgeon population.
The DNR said 519 of the prehistoric-looking fish were released in the river on Oct. 5.
Statewide, the DNR released more than 7,600 juvenile lake sturgeon this past summer and this fall.
The juvenile sturgeon were collected from the wild last spring and reared in streamside facilities until they reached at least 7 inches.
Most of the fish were tagged prior to being released into the rivers or lakes to allow future evaluations of the stocked fish.
"Many of these stocking efforts were public events that shined a spotlight on how important lake sturgeon are to Michigan," said MDNR Fisheries Division Chief Jim Dexter. "Our state has a long history with lake sturgeon, and working with our partners helps us protect the species for future generations."
The annual stocking efforts are critical to restoring the state's lake sturgeon population, Dexter said.
Partners in the effort also include: Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow, Kalamazoo River Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish band of Potawatomi Indians, the Gun Lake Tribe, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Michigan State University, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service.
Other streams or lakes that were stocked include: Otsego Lake, in Otsego County; Black Lake, in Cheboygan County; Lower Black River, in Cheboygan County; Sturgeon River, in Cheboygan County; Mullet Lake, in Cheboygan County; Cedar River, in Menominee County; Kalamazoo River, in Allegan County, Upper Black River, in Cheboygan County, and Whitefish River, in Delta County.
