The first step in a 25-year plan to reestablish sturgeon in Cattaraugus Creek and boost its numbers in Lake Erie took place this past week.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, in partnership with the Seneca Nation of Indians and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, successfully released 1,000 eight-inch lake sturgeon into Cattaraugus Creek on Oct. 15.
Lake Erie historically supported at least 19 spawning populations of lake sturgeon, including in Cattaraugus Creek. Traditional ecological knowledge provided by the Seneca Nation of Indians indicates that the Cattaraugus Creek historically supported a spawning population of lake sturgeon that provided the opportunity to harvest fish each year. Presently, there are only two wild spawning populations of lake sturgeon remaining — one in the east basin of the lake near Buffalo Harbor and the other in the west basin in the St. Clair Detroit River System.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service raised the sturgeon at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery in Wisconsin1,000 eight-inch lake sturgeon into Cattaraugus Creek on Oct. 15.. Each fish has a PIT tag implant allowing individual identification following release. Transporting these fish from Wisconsin to New York involved cooperation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hatchery staff, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and personnel from the DEC’s Chautauqua Hatchery. After their long journey, the released sturgeon will become familiar with Cattaraugus Creek and travel to Lake Erie. They will spend 8 to 10 years in the lake maturing into adults and return to Cattaraugus Creek to spawn.
After completing 25 years of planned stocking, these efforts should result in approximately 750 sturgeon reaching maturity and spawning in Cattaraugus Creek by 2040, according to the DEC.
Due to low populations, fishing for lake sturgeon is prohibited in New York state.
The lake sturgeon is one of New York state’s largest freshwater fish. Mature adults can live more than 100 years, sometimes reaching lengths of 7 feet and weighing more than 300 pounds. Efforts to restore Lake Sturgeon populations across the state are described in the New York State Lake Sturgeon Recovery Plan 2018–2024. DEC is currently in the process of updating the plan, which will incorporate Cattaraugus Creek restoration efforts.
To learn more about lake sturgeon management, visit the DEC lake sturgeon webpage.