OSHKOSH, Wis. - Wisconsin's oldest fish species - lake sturgeon present when dinosaurs roamed the earth - is set for an updated management plan. Sturgeon lovers can help shape that plan by attending one of eight public meetings statewide in mid-February and early-March.
"Wisconsin's sturgeon team is in the early stages of a process to update the sturgeon management plan and we want to hear from anglers and others interested in sturgeon," says Ryan Koenigs, the sturgeon biologist who leads the Department of Natural Resources sturgeon team. "These meetings provide people an opportunity to comment on the state's sturgeon management program and will set the stage for development of the plan."
Sturgeon facts and history
Lake sturgeon are currently managed under guidance from the 2000 Lake Sturgeon Management Plan. An updated plan will allow DNR staff and partners to continue to build on the previous plan's success, set new goals, and include management strategies for both lake sturgeon and shovelnose sturgeon management. It is important to note that the previous plan did not include shovelnose sturgeon.
Public meeting dates, locations and starting times are listed below:
• Tuesday, Feb. 20 - Eau Claire, 6:30 p.m., DNR Eau Claire Service Center, 1300 W. Clairemont Ave.;
• Tuesday, Feb. 20 - Fitchburg, 6:30 p.m., DNR Fitchburg Service Center, 3911 Fish Hatchery Road;
• Tuesday, Feb. 20 - Webster, 6:30 p.m., Larsen Family Public Library, 7401 W. Main St.;
• Wednesday, Feb. 21 - La Crosse, 6:30 p.m. DNR La Crosse Service Center, 3550 Mormon Coulee Road;
• Wednesday, Feb. 21 - Oshkosh, 6:30 p.m., Coughlin Building, Conference rooms A and B, 625 E County Road Y;
• Wednesday, Feb. 21 - Park Falls, 6 p.m. Public Library, 410 Division St.;
• Tuesday, March 6 - Ashland, 6 p.m. Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, 2100 Beaser Ave.; and
• Tuesday, March 6 - Oconto, 6 p.m., Oconto City Hall, 1210 Main St.
There also will be future opportunities for people to comment online, and materials prepared for the meetings will be posted online as they become available.
Wisconsin has long been regarded as a national and international leader in sturgeon protection, restoration and research - a reputation built since DNR began regulating sturgeon harvest on the Winnebago system in 1903.
Wisconsin offers a hook-and-line season on multiple major rivers with healthy, growing populations and boasts the world's largest self-sustaining population of lake sturgeon. In locations where sturgeon populations are not as strong, DNR and partners are working to rebuild sturgeon populations.
For more information regarding sturgeon management, visit dnr.wi.gov and search keyword "sturgeon."
Showing posts with label Lake Sturgeon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lake Sturgeon. Show all posts
Friday, February 9, 2018
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Attention Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing Enthusiasts:
 |
| WCSFO Photo by: John Durben |
The 2018 sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago and
the Upriver Lakes is only a little over a month away, starting on Saturday
February 10. We've experienced some very cold weather the last few weeks
and have some pretty thick ice developed throughout the system. In fact,
some of the local fishing clubs and conservation groups have already put out
their tree lines and are now maintaining access points and plowed
roads. From what I've heard, Lake Winnebago is pretty rough though and
there are quite a few cracks, so be sure to use caution and remember no ice is
every 100% safe.
Many spearers are starting to wonder about water clarity so we had one of our technicians check clarity in a couple of locations today (January 8). Attached is a map of where he checked clarity and what visibility was. In the locations checked, clarity ranged from 7.5-10.5' with quite a bit of variability. This is a very small sample size, but it appears that clarity is not great at this point in time. Hopefully things will improve a bit over the next month. We will be checking clarity again during the week leading up to the season and I will be sure to send out that update once it becomes available.
I also have attached a copy of the spearing rules and regulations for the 2018 season. I hope everyone had a happy holiday season and I look forward to the month of anticipation that lies ahead between now and February 10!
Ryan
Koenigs
Senior
Fisheries Biologist / Winnebago System Sturgeon Biologist
Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
625
E County Rd. Y, Suite 700
Oshkosh,
WI 54901
Phone:
(920)303-5450
Fax:
(920)424-4404
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing Enthusiasts (Day 6 - February 16):
 |
| Alexis Kruger 125.3 pounds 75.5 inches_Quinney |
Day 6 of the 2017 sturgeon spearing season included the harvest of 44 fish
(28 from Lake Winnebago and 16 from the Upriver Lakes). Stockbridge Harbor
remained the busiest station with 11 fish registered, followed by Cal Harbor
(6), Payne’s Point (4) and Wendt’s (4). Registration numbers picked up at
Boom Bay today with 8 fish registered there. An additional 6 fish
were registered at Critters and 2 at Indian Point on the Upriver Lakes.
The biggest fish harvested today was registered at Quinney by Alexis Kruger
of Chilton. A photo of Alexis’s 125.33 pound, 75.5 inch fish is attached to the
report. There were two other fish larger than 100 pounds registered
today, one at Calumet Harbor and the other at Boom Bay.
Sturgeon Vignette – Lake Sturgeon Age and Growth
Project
I've attached a low resolution PDF copy of the vignette.
We are committed to
service excellence.
Visit our survey at http://dnr.wi.gov/customersurvey
to evaluate how I did.
Ryan Koenigs
Senior Fisheries Biologist / Winnebago
System Sturgeon Biologist
Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing Enthusiasts (Day 5): February 15, 2017
Today marks the conclusion of the 5th day of the 2017 sturgeon
spear fishery on the Winnebago System. There were 32 fish harvested from
Lake Winnebago and 18 from the Upriver Lakes today. We are currently at
67% of both the adult female and male harvest caps and would need a harvest of
either 22 adult females or 54 males to reach the 90% trigger that would close
the fishery the next day. With the decrease in harvest each day, I am
expecting the Upriver Lakes fishery to go well into this weekend.
Five more fish 100 pounds or larger were harvested today, all of which were
from the Upriver Lakes. After the first 5 days of the fishery 7.9% of the Lake
Winnebago harvest have been fish 100 pounds or larger, compared to 2.7% of the
Upriver Lakes harvest. The largest fish harvested today was registered at
Quinney by Daniel Reindl of New London (118.2 pounds and 75.2”). I don’t
have a photo of Daniel’s fish, but we did get a picture of Jonathan Schneider’s
115.2 pound, 68.5” sturgeon that was registered at Payne’s Point (photo
attached).
Sturgeon Vignette – “The 1957 Sturgeon
Spearing Season”
I often talk about the cultural and social aspects of sturgeon spearing.
Modern sturgeon spearing seasons date back to the winter of 1931-1932, with
much of the equipment used being handmade and handed down through the
generations. This spearing season I plan to chronicle some of the past sturgeon
spearing seasons, at least one’s that I have records from. I will start
with years ending in “7” and move on to the next digit with each passing
season. The archives of past sturgeon spearing seasons are pretty variable
in content, but today I want to take a few minutes to describe the 1957 season
(60 years ago).
I have attached a few documents from the folder from 1957 (season synopsis,
news release prior to season, sturgeon registration guide that was provided to
the registration stations, and the length frequency from the 1957 harvest).
It’s amazing reading through these documents how little some of the regulations
regarding sturgeon spearing have changed in 60+ years. Of course the
harvest cap system, shortened spearing days, URL lottery, and many other
regulations have been more recently implemented but some of the basic
requirements have not changed.
It’s interesting to read through these historic documents and realize that
sturgeon biologists have always collected a tremendous amount of data from
harvested fish. For example, the registration guide talks about collection of
fin bones for age estimation. To this date, we continue to collect fin
bones for age estimation. However, this season we are making a big push
to collect sturgeon heads for an age and growth study. That’s the nature
of science though, we are always looking for improvements in the way we do
things and that will never change.
It’s also interesting to read the information about the $10 reward for
tagged sturgeon. Through time there have been a number of reward programs for
not only sturgeon tag returns, but also other species. At one point,
breweries were even involved in the program to provide added incentive to
anglers. I hope you enjoy the information about the 1957 season.
I enjoyed reading through the documents and learning more about the 1957
season. Further, I look forward to chronicling other past spearing
seasons as the 2017 continues on!
We are committed to
service excellence.
Visit our survey at http://dnr.wi.gov/customersurvey
to evaluate how I did.
Ryan Koenigs
Senior Fisheries Biologist / Winnebago
System Sturgeon Biologist
Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing Enthusiasts (Day 4):
 |
| John Leroy 149.4 pounds 77.1 inches |
Today’s harvest included 5 more fish weighing 100+ pounds, including 2 fish
larger than 140 points registered at Jerry’s Bar. John Leroy’s 149.4 pound
(77.1”) fish was the heaviest fish of the day, but there was a 81.6” fish
(144.8 pounds) also registered at Jerry’s Bar that was longer. John
honored the Valentine’s Day holiday by kissing his fish in the attached
photo. As a side story, I was fortunate to harvest one fish in my
spearing career and that fish was harvested on Valentine’s Day 2010.
Although my fish was not near the size of John’s, I still have fond spearing
memories of this date.
There has been a lot of discussion about the mild weather we have had
during the first 4 days of the spearing season. Further, there is concern about
the weather forecast starting this upcoming weekend. The sturgeon
spearing season will NOT be closed early due to weather, but we want to make
sure that spearers are aware of the warm temperatures (upper 40s) forecasted
for later in this week and into this weekend. I strongly recommend that
spearers stay up to date on ice and landing conditions in the areas that they
plan to travel. Also, stay in touch with local fishing clubs and
conservation groups maintaining access points and roadways as some of the local
fishing clubs may choose to pull their bridges if conditions worsen.
Also, make sure that you properly mark your sturgeon hole with wood lathe cut into
the ice any time you move your shack from that location. Unmarked
abandoned holes pose serious safety concerns for people travelling on the lake
and placing the lathe in a snow bank is not sufficient to mark holes.
Good luck to all spearers venturing out on Wednesday! More to come in later
reports.
We are committed to
service excellence.
Visit our survey at http://dnr.wi.gov/customersurvey
to evaluate how I did.
Ryan Koenigs
Senior Fisheries Biologist / Winnebago
System Sturgeon Biologist
Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing Enthusiasts (Day 2):
Day 2 of the 2017 sturgeon spearing season on the
Winnebago System is in the books with a harvest of 115 fish from Lake Winnebago
and 60 fish from the Upriver Lakes. That brings the season totals to 313 from
Lake Winnebago and 183 from the Upriver Lakes. We are currently at 19.0%
of the adult female harvest cap meaning the season will go the full 16
days. On the Upriver Lakes we have reached 50.6% of the male harvest cap
and 42.1% of the adult female harvest cap. Therefore, there is a strong
chance that the season will go into next weekend.
 |
| Michael+Larson_78.9+inch_140.6+pounds |
The big fish trend continued today with 8 fish larger
than 100 pounds being harvested from Lake Winnebago. Today’s biggest fish was
140.6 pounds, 78.9” and registered by Michael Larson from Seymour (photo
attached). Through the first 2 days of the season there have been 23 fish
100 pounds or larger harvested from Lake Winnebago (7.3% of harvest) and 4 from
the Upriver Lakes (2.2%).
I want to thank all of the spearers who have donated
their sturgeon heads thus far. As I write this report there are a number of my
colleagues and volunteers working to remove otoliths from sturgeon heads that
were dropped off at our stations today. It looks like we will have a
pretty good sample of aging structures to work with. I have included a
photo of a pair of otoliths (2 white structures)that were removed from one of
the sturgeon heads collected today.
Until my report tomorrow, good luck to those spearers
venturing out on Monday!
We are committed to
service excellence.
Visit our survey at http://dnr.wi.gov/customersurvey
to evaluate how I did.
Ryan Koenigs
Senior Fisheries Biologist / Winnebago
System Sturgeon Biologist
Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing Enthusiasts:
The opening day of the 2017 sturgeon spearing season is in the books.
Overall, I have to say things are off to a good start. The highlight of
today is the size of some of the fish harvested. Of the 198 fish
harvested from Lake Winnebago, 15 were 100 pounds or larger (7.6%). There
were 3 fish larger than 140 pounds harvested today: 1) Sandra Schumacher’s
154.7 pound, 78.5” fish registered at Stockbridge (photo attached), 2) Mason
Krueger’s 145.6 pound, 73.2 pound fish registered at Jerry’s Bar (photo
attached) and 3) Craig Kelliher’s 140.5 pound, 76.0” fish registered at
Wendt’s. Sandra’s fish is the largest fish harvested since the 2014
season. Three of the 123 fish (2.4%) harvested from the Upriver Lakes
were 100 pounds or larger today.
Earlier this week I reported that the best water clarity was along the east
and north shores of Lake Winnebago and that showed in harvest numbers by
registration station (harvest table attached). Stockbridge Harbor paced the way
with 59 fish registered on opening day, followed by Payne’s Point (37), Quinney
(30), and Wendt’s (28). Critter’s received the majority of the fish
registered on the Upriver Lakes with the other stations of Indian Point and
Boom Bay registering far fewer fish.
Today’s opening day harvest of 198 fish on Lake Winnebago ranks 11th
of 16 seasons since shortened spearing hours were implemented in 2002.
With today’s harvest we currently are at 12.5% of the adult female harvest cap
on Lake Winnebago. Each of the 5 previous seasons with lower opening day
harvests went the full 16-days. So at this point I am bracing for the
long season that likely will go 16 days. The harvest of 123 fish from the
Upriver Lakes ranks 10th of the 11 seasons since the lottery fishery
was implemented in 2007. We are currently at 31.6% of the adult female harvest
cap and 32.8% of the male cap on the Upriver Lakes. Thus, we are expecting this
season to at least go into mid-week but likely longer.
|
Year
|
LW Harvest
|
Water
Clarity (ft)
|
LW Shanty
Count
|
|
2017
|
198
|
9.5
|
5074
|
|
2016
|
84
|
9
|
3831
|
|
2015
|
468
|
12
|
4436
|
|
2014
|
636
|
15
|
4046
|
|
2013
|
41
|
8
|
2724
|
|
2012
|
39
|
10
|
2197
|
|
2011
|
283
|
13
|
4321
|
|
2010
|
515
|
16
|
4033
|
|
2009
|
389
|
14
|
5958
|
|
2008
|
635
|
18
|
3171
|
|
2007
|
195
|
10
|
4411
|
|
2006
|
39
|
6
|
3434
|
|
2005
|
215
|
16
|
2604
|
|
2004
|
1310
|
15
|
4751
|
|
2003
|
248
|
7.5
|
4150
|
|
2002
|
228
|
7.5
|
4368
|
|
Year
|
URL
Harvest
|
|
2017
|
123
|
|
2016
|
151
|
|
2015
|
126
|
|
2014
|
242
|
|
2013
|
140
|
|
2012
|
171
|
|
2011
|
159
|
|
2010
|
141
|
|
2009
|
117
|
|
2008
|
169
|
|
2007
|
168
|
We collected sturgeon stomachs from more than 50 fish today and will be
collecting more tomorrow. I plan to go through the stomachs on Monday, with
report to follow during the week, but it’s very apparent that sturgeon are heavily
predating on gizzard shad this year. This is not a surprise at all given
the large shad hatch that we observed this year during our fall bottom trawl
surveys. Overall, I think today was pretty successful. Harvest numbers
were not real high, but 321 spearers were still able to tag out. Further,
another season has commenced, offering spearers opportunities to reunite with
friends and family while renewing traditions and expanding on the social
culture of sturgeon spearing.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Sturgeon Spawn is on at Shiocton
by: John Durben
I took a ride to the Dam in Shawano this afternoon and there wasn’t much going on as far as the Sturgeon Spawn. There were a lot of cars in the lot and the shoreline was lined with spectators, but the WDNR was not present when we were there.
With that said we took a drive south to Shiocton to the Bamboo Bend area where I was able to catch a few shots of the spawn where the action appeared quite steady. I overheard one spectator say that the WDNR had been there earlier in the day, however they had left for New London. It was reported that this may only last a few days this year because of the warm weather.
Click on photos to enlarge
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Fishing Wisconsin - Lake sturgeon spawning
Spawning update 2015
Thursday, April 16
The sturgeon spawning run on the Wolf River has begun. There are currently multiple spawning pods working at the Sturgeon Trail in New London and at least one spawning pod working at Bamboo Bend in Shiocton. The water temperatures have warmed up quite rapidly and will continue to warm over the next couple of days with the warm sunny weather. Due to these conditions, I believe the fish will spawn very fast and we will have a short, intense run that may last less than a week. So if you want to get out and see the sturgeon spawn, I highly recommend making arrangements to do that over the next 1-2 days in New London or Shiocton. I am anticipating that there will be spawning activity below the Shawano Dam by this weekend as well.
- Ryan Koenigs, sturgeon biologist, Oshkosh.
Sturgeon spawning
During mid-April to early May, Lake Sturgeon travel upstream to their spawning grounds, giving the public a prime opportunity to see these ancient ones up close.
Sturgeon spawning is dependent on water temperature and flow. During seasons when water flow is high and water temperatures rise slowly, spawning begins when water temperature reaches 53 degrees Fahrenheit. In contrast, during seasons of low water flow and more rapid water temperature rise, spawning does not begin until water temperatures reach 58-59 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wolf River cam at Shawano Dam - underwater [exit DNR]
Call the sturgeon hotline number for recorded daily updates: (920) 303-5444.
Sturgeon guard
Volunteer to guard sturgeon at their spawning sites on the Wolf River and protect the fish from poaching
Lake sturgeon spawning/viewing locations on the Wolf River
Maps open to larger images. Sites are listed from North to South
- Shawano Dam in Shawano - Parking available on the east side of the river at the end of Richmond Street.
- Bamboo Bend at Shiocton - on County Highway 54. Parking available on the north side of County Hwy. 54.
- Wolf River Sturgeon Trail (near New London) - about 2 miles west of New London on County Highway X. Parking available on the south side of the river about 1/2 mile from the spawning site
Thursday, May 8, 2014
2014 Sturgeon Spawn Comes to an End in Shawano
Posted below is a portion of a collection of photos taken by WCSFO President John Durben on May 8 between Thunderstorms. For those who are familiar with the event, you can see that the water is higher and swifter than recent years.
For those who are not familiar, the WDNR employees capture, measure, sex, check for previously tagged fish as well as tag first time captured fish. Before being released, a few of the fish were stripped of eggs and sperm to fertilize eggs for a Georgia Hatchery Sturgeon project. According to one of the spectators, the water temperature was approximately 45 degrees. The air temperature wasn’t much better.
Click on each for to enlarge
US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE COMES TO SHAWANO WI
By: John Durben
Employees from the US Fish and Wildlife Service from the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery located in Warm Springs, Georgia came to Shawano, WI., yesterday. The purpose of their visit to Wisconsin was to gather some Sturgeon eggs to take back to their hatchery in Georgia.
The Sturgeon population is being threatened in some of the southern states due to over-harvest or the construction of dams which has changed the various water levels or access to spawning areas.
The Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery has been working closely with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in an effort to reverse this trend. The Wisconsin native fish hatched in Georgia will be released in the Lower French Broad River in Tennessee and the Coosa River in Georgia according to Hatchery Manager, Carlos Echevarria.
(L) Sturgeon eggs are treated in a clay solution to keep them from clumping. Note that
they are being stirred with an Eagle feather. (R) Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery
Manager, Carlos Echevarra with a pitcher of Sturgeon eggs.
(L) Sturgeon eggs poured into one of the jars which will eventually be placed in the
portable hatchery.
(R) The portable hatchery can handle 12 jars of Sturgeon eggs. Six jars on each side.
Echevarra says he like to put 500 eggs in each Jar.
(L) Kathlina Alford, Conservation Associate from the Tennessee Aquarium
Conservation Institute works on an egg sample. (R) The portable hatchery
is equipped with a cooling system as well as a heating system to keep the water
temperature just right for the eggs on the long trip back to Georgia.
In the back of the hatchery there is a portable generator to generate electricity
to operate the hatchery as well.
Click here – to learn more about this joint project.
WCSFO photos by: John Durben and Carlos Echevarra
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