LANSING – The Department of Natural Resources planted nearly 6,000 juvenile lake sturgeon into various waters in the state including Delta and Menominee Counties. It’s an effort to rehabilitate what the DNR calls a culturally significant fish species.

At total of 606 juvenile lake sturgeon where planted in the Whitefish River in Delta County on Sept. 28. The DNR planted 345 in the Cedar River in Menominee County on Sept. 4. They were the only tributaries stocked in the Upper Peninsula. Stocking was done at seven other sites downstate. The most, 2,102, were planted at Otsego Lake.

All juvenile lake sturgeon were collected from the wild last spring and reared in stream-side facilities until they reached at least 7 inches in size or larger. All fish are tagged prior to being released into their respective rivers.
 

RESOURCE: History of Lake Sturgeon in Michigan

 
“Many of these stocking efforts were public events that shined a spotlight on how important lake sturgeon are to our state,” said DNR Fisheries Division Chief, Jim Dexter. “Michigan has a long history with the lake sturgeon and working with our partners helps us to move forward toward protecting them for the future.”

Dexter said the annual stocking efforts are critical to restoring the state’s lake sturgeon population.