Sturgeon Registration Process

Information collected through the sturgeon registration process is kept in a database at Riveredge Nature Center. Each year, many young sturgeon are recaptured by the DNR. Each recaptured sturgeon is scanned to determine its individual “PIT” tag number (it’s like a microchip we place in our pets). The sturgeon is then weighed and measured before it is released. Each recaptured sturgeon’s number is provided to Riveredge by the DNR. We locate the number in our database. If the number has been registered by a sponsor, you are contacted. It’s a fun way to learn how some of the released sturgeon are growing and moving throughout Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee River.

STURGEON RELEASEDAs part of a cooperative effort involving Wisconsin DNR, Riveredge Nature Center and Fund for Lake Michigan, fisheries team members prepared 1,078 young lake sturgeon for release at Sturgeon Fest this past Saturday. The free event, held at Lakeshore State Park, featured the opportunity for youth and adults to sponsor and release young sturgeon into Lake Michigan. The fish, hatched from eggs collected on the Wolf River, were raised at a streamside rearing facility operated by Riveredge and DNR where they imprinted on the waters of the Milwaukee River. This year, the sturgeon were released with tiny pink floy tags to indicate they were treated with an antibiotic to ward off a common bacterial infection. The tags do not harm the sturgeon and are expected to fall off within 60 days. To learn more about lake sturgeon, visit our website here: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/sturgeon/lakesturgeonidentification.html. To find out more about Sturgeon Fest, check out the Riveredge Nature Center site here: http://riveredgenaturecenter.org/research/lake-sturgeon-reintroduction-project/sturgeon-fest/

Posted by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Monday, September 28, 2015