Post by ridge on Feb 5, 2018 20:26:17 GMT -5
MICHIGAN NEWS
By Tanda Gmiter tgmiter@mlive.com
CHEBOYGAN COUNTY, MI - Michigan's much-anticipated 2018 sturgeon season on Black Lake might have been a tad short this past weekend - just 2 1/2 hours - but it was a thrill for the seven fishermen who each caught one of the prehistoric-looking fish.
Black Lake is one of only a few spots in Michigan where there is a catch-and-keep season for sturgeon. Any other times these huge fish are caught, they must be immediately released.
Here's a fishing story that doesn't end with a big catch or the one that got away.
Lake sturgeon are a threatened species in Michigan. Overfishing, dam construction and other issues forced their once-robust numbers to dwindle over decades. The population of Michigan's oldest-lived fish is now carefully monitored by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
For annual seasons like this past weekend, the DNR works with tribal agencies and nonprofits like the Sturgeon For Tomorrow's Black Lake Chapter to determine a safe number of fish to harvest.
The Sturgeon for Tomorrow group used social media to keep fans from afar apprised of Saturday's tally.
Sturgeon season opened at 8 a.m. and closed by 10:30 a.m., the group said. There were 426 registered anglers on the 10,000-acre lake that straddles both Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties, the DNR reported.
For information on the DNR regulations for sturgeon fishing, check here.
Bolstering the sturgeon numbers in Michigan and Wisconsin - the last stronghold for this fish - has not been a quick turnaround.
Though they might live 100 years or more, sturgeon don't reach spawning maturity until their 20s. And some only spawn every four or five years.
12 wild and weird facts about the largest fish you can catch in the Great Lakes
The fish has been called "a dinosaur" and "river monster."
During spring spawning runs, their massive size attracts unscrupulous anglers, who might try to hook a sturgeon and keep it.
There's where the Sturgeon Patrol comes in.
Each spring, the DNR works with citizen volunteers to protect sturgeon that spawn in the upper Black River in Cheboygan County.
Some sections of the river are monitored around-the-clock to prevent anyone from harming the fish.
For many in that area, preserving this species is a cultural touchstone.
"Local citizens, volunteers from the Michigan National Guard, and members of the local chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow use cell phones to report suspicious activity to the DNR Report All Poaching hotline. The information is then immediately forwarded to conservation officers patrolling the area," the DNR said.
Rewards of up to $1,000 have been offered for information leading to the conviction of any person illegally taking sturgeon.
By Tanda Gmiter tgmiter@mlive.com
CHEBOYGAN COUNTY, MI - Michigan's much-anticipated 2018 sturgeon season on Black Lake might have been a tad short this past weekend - just 2 1/2 hours - but it was a thrill for the seven fishermen who each caught one of the prehistoric-looking fish.
Black Lake is one of only a few spots in Michigan where there is a catch-and-keep season for sturgeon. Any other times these huge fish are caught, they must be immediately released.
Here's a fishing story that doesn't end with a big catch or the one that got away.
Lake sturgeon are a threatened species in Michigan. Overfishing, dam construction and other issues forced their once-robust numbers to dwindle over decades. The population of Michigan's oldest-lived fish is now carefully monitored by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
For annual seasons like this past weekend, the DNR works with tribal agencies and nonprofits like the Sturgeon For Tomorrow's Black Lake Chapter to determine a safe number of fish to harvest.
The Sturgeon for Tomorrow group used social media to keep fans from afar apprised of Saturday's tally.
Sturgeon season opened at 8 a.m. and closed by 10:30 a.m., the group said. There were 426 registered anglers on the 10,000-acre lake that straddles both Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties, the DNR reported.
For information on the DNR regulations for sturgeon fishing, check here.
Bolstering the sturgeon numbers in Michigan and Wisconsin - the last stronghold for this fish - has not been a quick turnaround.
Though they might live 100 years or more, sturgeon don't reach spawning maturity until their 20s. And some only spawn every four or five years.
12 wild and weird facts about the largest fish you can catch in the Great Lakes
The fish has been called "a dinosaur" and "river monster."
During spring spawning runs, their massive size attracts unscrupulous anglers, who might try to hook a sturgeon and keep it.
There's where the Sturgeon Patrol comes in.
Each spring, the DNR works with citizen volunteers to protect sturgeon that spawn in the upper Black River in Cheboygan County.
Some sections of the river are monitored around-the-clock to prevent anyone from harming the fish.
For many in that area, preserving this species is a cultural touchstone.
"Local citizens, volunteers from the Michigan National Guard, and members of the local chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow use cell phones to report suspicious activity to the DNR Report All Poaching hotline. The information is then immediately forwarded to conservation officers patrolling the area," the DNR said.
Rewards of up to $1,000 have been offered for information leading to the conviction of any person illegally taking sturgeon.