This year, Michigan experienced its briefest fishing season, one that lasted a mere 48 minutes on Saturday, with only six out of 679 registered anglers able to reel in a catch.
For Jay Woiderski, the president of the Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow, this fleeting window was nothing short of "the perfect day." He remarked that while the fish came in at a slower rate compared to last year—when fishermen reached the limit of six sturgeons in just 17 minutes—the outcome was still ideal: they caught exactly the six fish permitted. He pointed out that the timely reporting of catches made things much simpler for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The DNR enforces strict regulations regarding the number of sturgeons that can be harvested from Cheboygan County's Black Lake during each fishing season. Once the quota of six fish is hit, the season comes to an abrupt end.
Lake sturgeons are remarkable creatures, often likened to living fossils. They can weigh as much as 300 pounds and have lifespans reaching up to 150 years, although most sturgeons found in the Great Lakes typically weigh between 30 and 100 pounds.
On Saturday, the heaviest catch was a female sturgeon tipping the scales at 79.4 pounds and measuring 67.2 inches, as reported by Sturgeon for Tomorrow on social media.
However, it’s essential to grasp the gravity of the situation when it comes to Great Lakes sturgeons: their population has plummeted to about 1% of what it once was historically. This decline can be traced back to the logging boom of the Gilded Age, which severely damaged their spawning grounds as logs were sent downstream. Additionally, sturgeons faced overfishing and lost access to their spawning habitats due to the construction of dams.
In fact, in 1999, there was a serious risk that sturgeon fishing would be completely banned on Black Lake after surveys indicated that merely around 500 adult sturgeons remained in the area. Local residents rallied against the ban, urging the DNR to reconsider, which led to the establishment of Sturgeon for Tomorrow, a group dedicated to ensuring the recovery of this species.
One of their most effective measures involves monitoring the Black River during springtime to deter poachers from illegally harvesting these fish. The organization collaborates closely with tribal governments, Michigan State University, and the DNR to implement comprehensive sturgeon rehabilitation programs.
Today, the adult sturgeon population in Black Lake has rebounded to approximately 1,200, marking a significant success story for conservation efforts.
Last fall, fisheries workers from MSU and the DNR encountered a female sturgeon in the Upper Black River that had been nurtured in a hatchery and subsequently released. This female was found carrying eggs, indicating that the sturgeons raised in the Black Lake Stream Side Rearing Facility were not only surviving but also reproducing—an exciting development celebrated by experts like Scott Colborne, an assistant professor in fisheries and wildlife at MSU, who leads the rearing facility initiative.
Anglers taking part in the Black Lake sturgeon fishing must report their catches to the DNR immediately. They are required to display bright red flags on their ice shanties if they capture a fish and must register each sturgeon they harvest.
Looking ahead, the 2024 Black Lake sturgeon season has been canceled for the first time ever, a decision made due to unseasonably warm weather and insufficient ice conditions.
