Sturgeon populations in Great Lakes recovering after longterm decline - just ask sturgio
Sturgeon released into Lake Huron during Sturgeon Fest.
Marine biologists released lake sturgeon into the Great Lakes this June. The ancient species are a longtime resident of the regional waters around Michigan and efforts have been ongoing to conserve their numbers.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Earlier this June, a fish named Sturgio was released into the wild.
Lake Huron's newest sturgeon spent months in captivity before entering its new home. During its journey, Sturgio helped teach a generation of students about conservation in the Great Lakes and one of Michigan's most iconic fishes.
Big picture view:
Sturgio wasn't the first sturgeon that marine biologist Jordyn Wilson had helped raise before releasing them into the wild. Last year, she oversaw another sturgeon named Hammy.
That one preferred blood worms, which isn't the most nutritional food. On the other hand, Sturgio relished a diet of lake smelt, gizzard shad, and rainbow trout.
"Each fish has its own personality," Wilson said, which requires her to curate the habitat for each sturgeon she rears. "Hammy didn't like the heftier food so he didn't grow very big."
But Sturgio did, growing from 6 inches long when it arrived at the SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium in Auburn Hills to 15.5 inches when it was released.
Kept in captivity for more than seven months, it was eventually released into Lake Huron during Sturgeon Fest, which was held at Fort Gratiot County Park on June 7.
Strugio is still considered a juvenile. If all goes well, it will spend decades swimming the Great Lakes.
Dig deeper:
Sturgeon don't have many defense mechanisms, making them vulnerable to predators during their early life stages. Instead, they rely on armored scales called scutes, which dull down and fall off as they get older.
By the time they reach sexual maturity - 15–20 years for males and 20–25 years for females - sturgeon can measure almost five feet long; too big for most predators to fight.
"Ultimately, they are gentle giants and will spend most of their time on the bottom of the lake floor," Wilson said.
Until they reach that stage, sturgeon are vulnerable to many of the stressors the Great Lakes face, both old pressures and new ones.
That's why Wilson curates their upbringing based on the environment they would normally spawn in. Sturgio came from a DNR hatchery before living in a 40-gallon tank.
Wilson added fake native plants, driftwood, and lilly pads to familiarize the environment Sturgio would one day call home.
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Life lessons:
Sturgeon are some of Michigan's oldest native aquatic species. Because they are sensitive to changes in the environment, scientists look to their population changes for an indication of the overall health of the lakes.
Wilson sees them as the perfect vessel for teaching kids of all ages about the value of conservation and maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
"Everyone loves dinosaurs, especially kids," she said. "We talk about how they've been around so long, why they're not doing so well, and the reason we want them here."
Sturgio was the latest member of the St. Clair-Detroit River Sturgeon project. A dozen schools participate in the project every year, encompassing students of all ages. They spend time learning about their life cycle, their conservation, and why - as Wilson sees it - "we need them around."
And it appears the work of Wilson as well as agencies around Michigan are having an impact.
Earlier in June, Michigan State University's Fisheries & Wildlife group announced they broke their old record for surveying adult lake sturgeon at the Black River spawning grounds.
Over 38 days, the MSU-MDNR Black River Lake Sturgeon Program counted 420 adults. Their findings also included the first-ever return of a female that was spawned in a hatchery and released into the river.
"These remarkable fish can take up to 25 years to reach maturity, making this moment a major milestone for the program!"
The Source: This story was reported from an interview with a marine biologist.