October 3, 2006

Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Twenty-seven fingerling lake sturgeon will be stocked into the Milwaukee River at Thiensville next week as part of a multi-agency effort to restore lake sturgeon to Lake Michigan. State fisheries crews will stock the 8- to 9-inch fingerlings at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 9, from just below the dam in Thiensville at the Village Park.

While this stocking is part of a continuing effort to restore lake sturgeon to Lake Michigan, this release is significant because these are the first sturgeon that were raised on the banks of the river in water from the river, according to Brad Eggold, southern Lake Michigan fisheries team supervisor for the state Department of Natural Resources.

“These lake sturgeon were produced in a streamside rearing facility located in Newbury and operated in conjunction with Riveredge Nature Center,” Eggold said. Lake sturgeon stocked on 10 previous occasions were raised at the Wild Rose Fish Hatchery.

“The primary benefit of using a streamside rearing facility is lake sturgeon will be raised on a native water source throughout their entire early life. This maximizes their ability to imprint to this water source and should greatly improve the odds that, at maturity, the sturgeon will return to the Milwaukee River to spawn, which is the ultimate goal.”

A streamside rearing facility is basically a mini-hatchery. Water is drawn from the Milwaukee River, pumped into sand filters and then into an 8 by 20 foot trailer that contains four fish raceways capable of holding a total of 1,500 lake sturgeon.

“We are very fortunate to have this great support from the Riveredge Nature Center. Without the cooperation of the center and the volunteers, this project could not have been completed. They provided the spot for the trailer and water supply lines and, more importantly, have provided the support for the day-to-day operation of the facility. Riveredge ecologist Marc White has done a great job lining up staff and volunteers to run the facility. Without their involvement we would not have any fish to stock.”

The stocking of lake sturgeon into the Milwaukee River began in the spring of 2003. In addition to this year’s batch of fingerlings past stockings have included an additional 3,000 fingerlings; 19 adult sturgeon with radio transmitters; 400 yearlings, or year-old fish; and 64,000 lake sturgeon larvae. The project is funded through a cooperative effort among agencies and public partners. Wisconsin DNR, the Great Lakes Fishery Trust and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife provide the majority of the funding.

Much has been done in the Milwaukee River watershed to clean up pollution and to remove dams that blocked the fish’s passage, most importantly the removal of the North Avenue Dam in 1997.

The Department of Natural Resources requires all wastewater discharge to meet pollution limits. This rule and the investments made by these public and private dischargers, have greatly reduced pollution in the river from industry and municipal wastewater treatment plants. State and local efforts to reduce polluted runoff from farms and urban areas also have helped.

Eggold said the project is evidence of the growing health of the Milwaukee River and the strength of Wisconsin’s lake sturgeon management program, which is 102 years old this year. Having protected and nurtured in Lake Winnebago what is now the world’s largest lake sturgeon population, the program is focusing on restoring lake sturgeon in other parts of its original range in Wisconsin.

Lake sturgeon can grow to 200 pounds and live 100 years. Female sturgeon don’t start spawning until they are 20 to 25 years old, and males start at about 10 years old.

Getting to adulthood will be a challenge for the sturgeon, Eggold said. DNR surveys of the river reveal good habitat for yearling fish, overwintering and spawning, but the lake sturgeon must first survive these initial months, and then subsequent years of eluding predators and finding sufficient food.

Even then, as the survivors begin their spawning runs, they’ll still encounter some obstacles: namely, remaining dams on the Milwaukee River. Eggold hopes DNR can work with dam owners in coming years to find ways to help the fish to migrate.