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By BOB GWIZDZ, MDNR
Michigan DNR Working to Revitalize Sturgeon Population
Lake sturgeon evolutionary ancients that have lived in the Great Lakes almost forever have something in common with Michigan's salmon, which didn't even live around here until a half century ago.
Both types of fish spend most of their time in big lakes but run up rivers to spawn; and they both show surprising faithfulness to their natal streams.
Sturgeon have evolved in the Great Lakes system for so long that they are genetically different from one river to the next.
"It's possible to catch a sturgeon in Lake Michigan, genotype that sturgeon, and we can tell which river it came from," said Ed Baker, a research biologist with the MDNR.
That fact isn't lost on fisheries managers who are attempting to revitalize Great Lakes sturgeon populations.
The multiple agencies involved in the program - the Michigan DNR, Wisconsin DNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians - have concluded that rearing fish on site in the streams they are rehabilitating is preferable to distributing them from a central facility, such as the Black River Sturgeon Hatchery in Cheboygan County, which is the Great Lakes most productive sturgeon facility.
They have also found that getting the egg stock from the river in question is better, too.
There are currently eight sturgeon-rearing facilities in the Great Lakes.
In addition to Black River, these include two facilities in Wisconsin, three in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, one on the Kalamazoo River, and the one that started the movement to rear sturgeon streamside, the facility operated by the Little River Band on the Manistee River.
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MDNR Report
Record Sunfish Caught in Berrien County
Michigan has a new state-record hybrid sunfish, caught out of Lake Anne in Grand Mere State Park in Berrien County.
Joel Heeringa, of St. Joseph, Mich., caught the fish July 9 while still-fishing with a crawler. The record fish weighed 1.8 pounds and measured 11.7 inches.
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MDNR Report
Bear Season is Around the Corner; New Population Estimates Available
Michigan's bear hunting seasons are almost here, with the first opening Sept. 10 in the Upper Peninsula.
The Lower Peninsula's first season starts Sept. 14 in select areas, and Sept. 16 for remaining locations below the bridge.
Bear seasons have staggered openers with various locations and hunt periods. For each of the 2017 and 2018 hunting seasons, 7,140 bear licenses were available.
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MDNR Report
Electrofishing a Valuable Tool to Fish Managers
On a rainy August morning, three men dressed in dark-shaded green chest waders and rain jackets slowly make their way up the chilly waters of the Rock River in Alger County.
Two of the men carry long white poles with boxed ends in one rubber-gloved hand and a fishing net in the other.
From each of the two men, a yellow electrical cord runs downstream to an equipment box in a small aluminum boat, which is being pulled up the river by the third man.
As the men wave the white poles under the stream banks and overhanging trees, large and small brook trout emerge, floating sideways or upside down in the creek.
Quickly, the fish are netted and moved to a plastic bin filled with water in the bottom of the boat. The men pull the boat to the shore and begin measuring fish and collecting information on each of them.
They work quickly to release the fish safely back into the stream.
This process is called electrofishing, performed by state fisheries biologists and technicians.
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The Dowagiac Conservation Club will host a Hunter Safety Class August 23-25 with registration set for Wednesday at the clubhouse.
The course will be held at the club from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. August 23 and 24 and 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. August 25.
There is no charge for the class but students must pre-register with a birth certificate and attend all three classes to get their Hunter Safety Certification.
For more information, call Furmer, 269-646-9839.