It has been nearly a year since the inaugural Sturgeon Fest, where state, local and federal agencies worked with the community to begin the reintroduction of one of Lake Erie’s most iconic native species. But how are the little babies doing?
Before the juvenile lake sturgeon, or fingerlings, were released into the Cuyahoga River last September, many of them received tiny acoustic transmitter implants that communicate with receivers throughout the lake to track their movements. Early data from the U.S. Geological Survey shows that many of the young fish are sticking close to Cleveland harbor.
“They are making themselves at home,” said Eric Weimer, Fisheries Biology supervisor at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Weimer and his team think this could be a good sign for the future of the project. “As long as they stay in that Cuyahoga River plume and they connect with that water chemistry signal, there is a higher likelihood that they will come back when they are adults to spawn.”
Early signs of sturgeon thriving
Female lake sturgeon do not produce eggs until they are between 15 and 30 years of age. This means it may be a generation before we see these juvenile sturgeon return to the Cuyahoga to spawn and create a self-sustaining population, but there have been some early signs that the sturgeon are thriving in Lake Erie.
Last week while conducting routine Lake Erie invasive species monitoring, the Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office found a promising discovery, according to their social media account.
Three lake sturgeon that were released last year. The Facebook post stated how encouraging it was to find that the sturgeon survived their early vulnerable life stage and are faring well in the restored native waters.
“It is really nice to get our hands on these fish and see just how quickly they are growing,” Jason Fischer, fisheries biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, wrote.
The fingerling sturgeon all measured around 17 inches long, growing roughly 10 inches and doubling in weight in the year since their release.
The second annual Sturgeon Fest is taking place this Saturday, Sept. 19, at Rivergate Park from 1 to 4 p.m. Release events are also taking place in Cascade Valley Metro Park and Boston Mills in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Free tickets to release one of this year’s 1,500 fingerling lake sturgeon sold out within days of the events going live online, showing just how invested the community is in the reintroduction of this enigmatic fish.
