Lake Sturgeon

A giant among Wisconsin's inland freshwater fishes, the bottom dwelling lake sturgeon is a living fossil - a relic from the Middle Ages of fish evolution. This ancient species made its first appearance about 100 million years ago in the Upper Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era, just about the time that the dinosaurs made their abrupt exit from Earth's ever-changing stage. Today the lake sturgeon retains many primitive characteristics that have been lost or modified in other modern-day fishes.

Harvest

A lake sturgeon makes its journey up the Wolf River on a sunny, April day.

Inland Fisheries - hook and line harvest from several of Wisconsin's large river systems
Lake Winnebago System - spearing harvest from a world-renowned sturgeon fishery.
Lake Sturgeon Management Plan - providing guidance for all sturgeon management
Sturgeon Propagation - producing sturgeon for management and research activities
Sturgeon Population Restoration - restoring sturgeon to their historical range in Wisconsin.

Protection and Advocacy

Sturgeon Guard - protection program created to protect spawning sturgeon and minimize illegal poaching activity
Sturgeon for Tomorrow - sturgeon advocacy organization dedicated to sturgeon conservation

Lake Sturgeon Spawning

Lake sturgeon migrate to their annual spawning grounds generally between mid April and early May, preferring to spawn in shallow, rocky areas along river banks. Sturgeon spawning is dependent on water temperature and flow. Optimum lake sturgeon spawning temperatures range from 52 to 58 degrees F. Sturgeon can often be seen doing pre-spawn porpoising at the preferred spawning sites. As conditions become more favorable, the fish will move into shore to spawn. 2008 Sturgeon Spawning Information

Sturgeon Publications

• Honoring the Ancient Ones on restoring sturgeon - from Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine, June 2001
• We have available for purchase, Life, Legend, Legacy: Wisconsin's Lake Sturgeon [VIDEO Length 19:30] A history of Wisconsin's lake sturgeon (2001)