The Michigan DNR and several other partners have rescued more than two dozen lake sturgeon that were stranded in low-water conditions in the Upper Peninsula.
According to the DNR, crews worked with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) and Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) to rescue 27 lake sturgeon from the Ontanagon River channel in Ontanagon County.
On Aug. 23, hikers on a trail observed three lake sturgeon in pools in the channel. They reported it to the DNR, which was then forwarded to local fisheries staff.
According to the DNR ,at this time of year, there is either no flow or low flow in the part of the channel where the sturgeon were discovered.
DNR staff transported two of the sturgeon to a new habitat using hiking bags while the sturgeons' gills remained immersed in fresh water.
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Crews returned to the site with KBIC and UPPCO to serach more extensively for the third sturgeon, and instead found a large number of sturgeon in a pool clouded with sediment. In all, 10 fish were moved downstream, but not all fish could be rescued.
"UPPCO released water from the dam into the channel within permit allowances, in hopes of improving conditions in the channel pools for the remaining sturgeon while further rescue efforts could be planned," the DNR said.
Personnel returned to the site for a third time with more people and captured another 15 sturgeon. They confirmed that none were left in the dewatered stream channel.
To prevent sturgeon from becoming stranded in this part of the river in the future, the DNR is reviewing flow and temperature data and considering enhanced surveys.
“Projects like hydroelectric dams have environmental impacts,” said Dave Caroffino, DNR Lake Superior basin coordinator. “We have to work collaboratively with partners like KBIC and UPPCO, as well as the public, to prevent and mitigate negative effects.”
Sturgeon are listed as a threatened species in Michigan and restoration efforts have been ongoing throughout the state. They have been stocked in the Ontonagon River since 1998.
The DNR said it's likely that none of the sturgeon captured exceed 28 years old, and the largest fish recovered was 55 inches long.
"Since sturgeon are long-lived and still recovering in this system, a loss of 27 fish would have been extremely detrimental to that population," the DNR said.
