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

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

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

Sturgeon Spawn 2014 - Shawano, WI

Sturgeon Spawn 2014 on the Wolf River in Shawano, WI. WDNR employees catch, tag and record data on Sturgeon that make the annual spawning run from Lake Winnebago up to the Dam in Shawano. This video catches the efforts of one of the employe...es that dove into the 45 degree water to catch the Sturgeon by hand and help nodge them into the large nets to be taken to the processing area. I watched him for several hours, so he had to be cold and tired. (WCSFO video - John Durben)

 



 

Cook County fishing closures will protect spawning fish

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wishes to inform anglers that there will be several fishing closures in Cook County during the beginning of the 2014 fishing season to protect concentrations of spawning walleye. Closures on Minnesota-Ontario waters are made in cooperation with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and affect both sides of the border.

The following closures took effect April 1:

• Sea Gull River from Sea Gull Lake through Gull Lake to Saganaga Lake approximately 1/3 mile north of the narrows; closed through May 23.

• Saganaga Falls on the Minnesota Ontario border where the Granite River enters Saganaga Lake; closed through May 31.

• Maligne River (also known as Northern Light Rapids) on the Ontario side of Saganaga Lake; closed through May 31.

• Channel between Little Gunflint and Little North Lakes on the Minnesota Ontario border; closed through May 31.

• Cross River (inlet to Gunflint Lake) from the Gunflint Trail to Gunflint Lake; closed through May 23.

The following areas will be closed to fishing from May 10 through May 23:

• Tait River from White Pine Lake to the Forest Road 340 crossing, including a portion of White Pine Lake.

• Junco Creek from the first log dam above County Road 57 downstream to Devil Track Lake, and including a portion of Devil Track Lake near the river mouth.

Closures apply to fishing only; travel is permitted through these areas. All closed areas will be posted.

The closures are intended to protect concentrations of walleye that may be vulnerable to over-harvest in what is expected to be a year with relatively late ice-out and delayed spawning. Questions can be directed to the DNR fisheries office in Grand Marais at 218-387-3056, or to the Grand Marais area fisheries supervisor, Steve Persons at steve.persons@state.mn.us.

Researchers Identify New Burbot Spawning Behavior

March 10, 2014

By Marie Zhuikov

It’s a winter’s night on Lake Michigan. Underwater in the shallows, the eel-like and lowly burbot gather in a brown writhing mass to spawn. With their serpentine bodies and dangly chin barbels, it’s not a pretty picture, but the activity ensures the species’ survival as one of the top predators in the food chain along with lake trout.

Wisconsin Sea Grant scientists have discovered that burbot spawn in deep reefs and also later in the season than previously known. Their findings, recently published in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, add a fifth spawning behavior to those already identified for burbot.

Burbot, known in Latin as Lota lota from the French word for codfish, are the only species of cod that live entirely in fresh water. Also known as eelpout, lawyer and lingcod, the burbot is prized for its delicate white meat. A popular restaurant on Washington Island off the Door Peninsula, KK Fiske, draws patrons from as far away as Chicago by offering “fresh lawyers” throughout the year prepared fried, boiled, broiled and shish kebabed. However, just as many anglers are put off by the burbot’s eel-like appearance and penchant for wrapping its tail around their arms as they try to unhook it.

For the study, conducted in 2007 and 2008, researchers collected burbot larvae in lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron during spring and summer. While burbot are known to spawn in landlocked lakes and Great Lakes tributaries in winter (January to March), and in rocky shallow waters of the Great Lakes, researchers found burbot larvae at deep reefs in the middle of Lake Michigan and offshore areas of Lake Huron in June through August, signifying that burbot spawn later and deeper than previously understood.

John Janssen, professor of fisheries ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said the finding was accidental. “We were working on collecting bloater larvae, and we were surprised by the number of burbot we collected on the midlake reef. We were also surprised that we were seeing them in late June. They were really tiny, which means they were just born. This implies there’s a concentration of burbot on those mid-lake reefs.”

Volunteers needed to place muskellunge spawning structures in Iron County's Chicagon Lake this March

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking volunteers to assist in placing wood habitat structures in Chicagon Lake (Iron County) on Sunday, March 2, to provide additional spawning habitat for muskellunge.

Chicagon Lake is a popular and economically important body of water in the Upper Menominee River Watershed. The DNR actively manages this 1,100-acre waterbody for several coolwater species, including muskellunge.

Muskellunge were first stocked into Chicagon Lake in 1965. Subsequent surveys documented evidence of natural reproduction, indicating Chicagon Lake provided some suitable spawning habitat; however, muskellunge natural recruitment has remained inadequate to sustain the population.

Wood structures are proposed based on success with this type of habitat enhancement in Wisconsin waters. Wood is thought to keep muskellunge eggs from sinking into the sediment and being smothered, provides a better habitat for egg development, and is the preferred spawning habitat for this species. In addition, the installation of wood habitat will benefit many other fish by providing seasonal refuge and cover. By encouraging natural reproduction of muskellunge, the DNR will move toward the overall goal of promoting self-sustaining fisheries and, in turn, provide additional opportunities for muskellunge anglers.

This project is possible thanks to $10,000 from the We Energies’ Mitigation and Enhancement Fund. This fund was established as part of the Wilderness Shores Settlement Agreement to enhance aquatic habitat in the area of influence of We Energies’ hydroelectric projects.
Volunteers will assist the DNR and its project partners: Boundary Waters Musky Club, Iron County Watershed Coalition, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Upper Peninsula Sportsmen’s Alliance, and other local entities. The project is slated for Sunday, March 2, from 8 a.m. to noon, Central time. Volunteers will meet at the Chicagon Lake public access site located off County Road 424.

Those interested in volunteering should contact Drew YoungeDyke at dyoungedyke@mucc.org or 517-346-6486. Volunteers will get a free T-shirt, a digital subscription to Michigan OutofDoors Magazine, and lunch. This volunteer effort is part of Michigan United Conservation Clubs’ On the Ground initiative, which is supported by grants from the Consumers Energy Foundation, Enbridge Energy Partners and the DNR.

Draft master plan for the Green Bay wildlife, fisheries and natural areas available for public input

PESHTIGO, Wis. - Protection of aquatic resources and habitats - including northern pike and sturgeon spawning areas - and high-quality and rare natural communities are among the objectives of a draft plan for the management and use of the Green Bay Planning group, a collection of Department of Natural Resources properties scattered along the west shore of Green Bay.

The public will have an opportunity to review and comment on the Green Bay Planning Group Draft Master Plan and Environmental Assessment at an upcoming public meeting scheduled for January 29 in Oconto.

The draft plan describes proposed future land management strategies, recreational opportunities, and boundary modifications for the properties, which include wildlife areas, fisheries area and State Natural Areas. The following properties are covered by the planning process: the 11 units of the Green Bay West Shore Wildlife Area - Charles Pond, Little Tail, Long Tail, Oconto Marsh, Peats Lake, Pecor Point, Pensaukee, Peshtigo Harbor, Rush Point, Sensiba and Tibbett-Suamico; the Badger Gift Lands, a 757-acre parcel adjacent to and north of the Peshtigo Harbor Unit of the Green Bay West Shore Wildlife Area that was given to the DNR as part of a 2002 consent decree with the Fort James Operating Company as part of the Natural Resources Damage Assessment for the Fox River; Bloch Oxbow State Natural Area; and other scattered wildlife and fisheries lands.

Highlights of proposed management include:

• Continued emphasis on management of coastal wetlands, including emergent marsh, sedge meadow, bottomland and swamp hardwoods, shrub swamps and riverine habitats.
• Protection and management of aquatic resources and habitats, including northern pike and sturgeon spawning areas, and game and non-game fisheries.
• Protection and management of high-quality and regionally rare natural communities such as southern sedge meadow, floodplain forest, northern dry mesic forest, Great Lakes barrens and oak woodlands that harbor rare species.
• Continued emphasis on traditional outdoor recreational activities such as hunting, fishing and trapping.
• Improvements to an existing shooting range.
• Identification and development of additional opportunities for shore fishing, accessible hunting, wildlife viewing, hiking, paddling and cross-country skiing.
• Modifications to existing project boundaries including 335 acres of boundary contractions and 2,891 acres of expansions, 980 acres of which are already in DNR ownership.
• Continued collaborations with private landowners, local governments and conservation organizations on shared stewardship, management and recreation goals.

The DNR also has received a request from a local snowmobile club to route a connector trail from the Marinette County snowmobile trail network across a portion of the Peshtigo Harbor Unit in order to access Green Bay and is seeking public comment on this proposal.

A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 29 from 6-8 p.m. at the Oconto High School auditorium, 1717 Superior Avenue, Oconto.

The meeting agenda is as follows: open house with informational displays available and staff present for one-on-one questions and discussion, 6-6:45 p.m.; formal presentation providing an overview of the draft plan, 6:45-7 p.m.; formal question-and-answer period 7-7:15 p.m.; additional open house and one-on-one questions and discussion, 7:15-8 p.m.

The proposed action is not anticipated to result in significant adverse environmental effects. The DNR has made a preliminary determination that an environmental impact statement will not be required.

The Draft Master Plan and Environmental Assessment, along with maps and other background information, will be available for viewing at the public meeting. They can also be viewed online by searching the DNR website dnr.wi.gov, for keywords "Green Bay master plan."

The Draft Master Plan and Environmental Assessment will also be available for review at the DNR Green Bay Service Center, DNR Peshtigo Service Center and at the Peshtigo Public Library, Farnsworth Public Library in Oconto and Brown County Library, Weyers-Hilliard Branch, in Green Bay.

Comments or questions about these documents can be offered at the public meeting, online through the master planning page of the DNR website or submitted to: John Huff by mail at 101 N. Ogden Road, Suite A, Peshtigo, WI 54157, by phone at 715-582-5047, or by email at john.huff@wisconsin.gov; or Yoyi Steele by mail at 101 S. Webster Street, WM/6, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921, by phone at 608-266-8169, or by email at yoyi.steele@wisconsin.gov

The public may submit comments through February 28, 2014.

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2012 Lake Sturgeon Spawning Update Wednesday, April 11th

Sorry I didn't get a report out last evening - but yesterday (Tuesday 10 April 2012) was a very long, but very historic day in the Winnebago Lake Sturgeon Management Program. We not only captured and tagged the most sturgeon in one day (565 fish) since spawning assessment operations began in the early 1950s, but Ryan Koenig's and Kendall Kamke's crew (the crew of young guys) captured the largest sturgeon we have ever handled in any spawning assessment operation. After our two crews (the "Young Guys Crew", and my and Dan Folz's crew - the "Old Guys Crew") worked all day at the spawning site, Ryan Zernzach, one of our Fisheries Technicians, made one last dip with his net to capture the last fish of the day. He came up with a fish that will likely be the subject of folklore and song for decades - an 87.5 inch fish weighing approximately 240 pounds (the fish was partially spawned out and would have been about 30 pounds heavier had she still had all of her eggs). See the DNR photo with the "Young Guys Crew" and the record shattering fish below.

WDNR note: “probably made first spawning run during WWI.”

2012 Lake Sturgeon Spawning

SPAWNING UPDATE

Monday, April 9, 2012

We accomplished a tremendous amount of good sturgeon work today at the Shawano spawning site and beyond………

• dip netted, captured, and PIT tagged almost 300 lake sturgeon;
• collected sperm from about 75 males and eggs from 15 females for various restoration projects;
• conducted river-side seminars on sturgeon biology and life history with over 100 interested publics and several school classes;
• completed interviews with 2 Television crews, 1 radio crew, and a couple of newspapers on the 2012 sturgeon run; and
• finished all of the tagging, egg taking, seminaring, and interviewing in time to drive up to 2 hours to represent Fisheries at the annual Spring Conservation Congress meetings in 10 counties in our work unit (10 of our crew including myself).

The sturgeon came into the Shawano site consistently all day and it appears they may spawn out in a couple more days or by mid to late week. Fish also moved into a couple of other sites downstream from Shawano so this thing isn't over yet. I expect fish could show up at other sites as well and extend the season even beyond the big push at Shawano

We're ready to roll tomorrow with the full crew at Shawano capturing and tagging spawning lake sturgeon. The images on the "Sturgeon Cam" tell us it should be another big day. Check them out...

Wolf River Cam at Shawano Dam - underwater (exit DNR)

Wolf River Cam at Shawano Dam II- above water. (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.

Track the Rivers

• Track the Wolf River temperature, stage, and discharge data (exit DNR)
• Track the upper Fox River temperature, stage, and discharge data (exit DNR)

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

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. (End – WDNR release)

Photos below taken and posted by John E. Durben, President, WCSFO. Click on photos to enlarge.

April 9, 2012

     

The tails from the Spawning Sturgeon resemble a scene from the movie Jaws as they’ve come to a Dead-end at the foot of the Dam in Shawano, WI.  Members of the WDNR crew haul a fish up the west bank of the Wolf River to check to see if it has been tagged. If  it isn’t tagged they will tag it before they release the fish. Other information about each fish is gathered as well.

     

Another fish is caught in the landing nets to be processed for tagging and release. This guy is riding the slide back down to the River after being released.

     

The water churns while the fish perform their annual ritual. The right photo shows the Dam which is the end of the line for this journey. Many others have spawned down river by this time.

April 10, 2012

     

The crew moved to the center of the Wolf River today. The fish are all around them which makes it easier than tripping over the rocks on the river bottom or carrying those heavy fish up the hill as they did yesterday.

     

Although you can barely see the constant mist from the water flowing through the Dam, you can’t see the occasional snow flakes blown around by the wind. It had to be cold out there. The guy in the center is wrestling a Sturgeon to the platform to get measured and tagged. One of the Sturgeon has a Lamprey hitchhiking on it’s back.