Searching for Lake Sturgeon
Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area
By Lisa Nyman and Janelle Laing
Did you know that Lake Sturgeon are one of Canada’s largest freshwater fishes and they occur in Lake Superior!? They can live more than 100 years, grow longer than 3 m (9.8 ft), and weigh up to 180 kg (396 lbs)! Lakewide research and monitoring was undertaken in Lake Superior in 2021, as part of a 5-year cycle, and it included sturgeon.
Populations of Lake Sturgeon in the Great Lakes have severely declined over the past two centuries from over-exploitation and habitat alteration, with some estimates suggesting that only 1% of the historic numbers are now present. As a result, Lake Sturgeon in the Great Lakes are listed as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and have been listed as Endangered in Ontario since 2008.
To try and bring sturgeon back from the brink of extinction, recovery plans have been developed, including A Lake Sturgeon Rehabilitation Plan for Lake Superior, and Ontario’s Recovery Strategy for Lake Sturgeon. Given that sturgeon are long-lived fish that take many years to reach maturity, recovery is expected to take longer for this species than some others.
The Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative is a binational effort to coordinate science and monitoring activities in one of the five Great Lakes each year, generating data and information for Canadian and American environmental management agencies. Monitoring for juvenile Lake Sturgeon in Lake Superior takes place every five years. Parks Canada participated in sturgeon sampling for the first time in 2021, as part of the third monitoring cycle since the initiative began in 2011.
Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area staff took the lead on monitoring work in Nipigon Bay, and then worked alongside staff from the Upper Great Lakes Management Unit (Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry) to complete sampling in Black Bay. Staff checked captured sturgeon for existing tags, and took biological samples for age and genetic assessments, when possible.
Similar to the 2016 survey, no Lake Sturgeon were captured in Nipigon Bay, while in Black Bay a total of 16 Lake Sturgeon were caught and live released. The largest of these fish measured 1.4 m (55 in), and weighed 27 kg (60 lbs)!
This project was a success thanks to the hard work and team effort of the many staff from multiple agencies who contributed to field work, planning and everything in between!
Remember that recreational fishing is closed year-round for Lake Sturgeon. Please consult the Ontario fishing regulations for more information.
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