MENASHA (NBC 26) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that lake sturgeon do not qualify as an endangered species. The agency announced its decision to keep lake sturgeon off the endangered species list.
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decides lake sturgeon do not qualify as endangered species
- Anglers support the decision, preserving sturgeon spearing tradition in Wisconsin
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service emphasizes sturgeon's stability and growth
Some local anglers we've interviewed share this perspective, supporting the agency's decision.
“Lake Sturgeon are not at risk of extinction now or in the foreseeable future. So they don't warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act as either endangered or threatened,” Karen Harrington of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, tells NBC 26 from their Midwest regional office in Minneapolis.
The decision to keep lake sturgeon off the endangered list, officially preserves sturgeon spearing season in Wisconsin.
According to the government agency, spawning, stocking and harvesting protections have revived the fish population.
“The Fish and Wildlife Service together with all of our partners are working to conserve and restore lake sturgeon, but overall, they're doing fairly well. They're stable or even slowly increasing in some areas,” Harrington says.
In reaction to the federal decision, the Center for Biological Diversity, which petitioned to get the prehistoric fish listed as endangered back in 2018 sent NBC 26 this statement;
"This decision is bad for lake sturgeon and anglers alike because overall the species has suffered drastic declines," said Jeff Miller, senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “While some populations are well managed, adult fish numbers are at a fraction of their historical levels despite decades of restoration efforts.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the population is steadily growing.
“One thing about sturgeon is that they're extremely long-lived. So it can take a long time to see the benefits of the restoration and conservation actions that we're all doing,” says Harrington. “The Fish and Wildlife Service but together with all of our partners are working to conserve and restore lake sturgeon, but overall, they're doing fairly well. They're stable or even slowly increasing in some areas.
Lake Winnebago angler, Peter Soldolski says, “I think it was more of the function of sturgeon are struggling in other places but this is the exception to the rule probably because the DNR does such a great job.”
Listing lake sturgeon as endangered would have made harvesting the fish illegal, ending a time-honored tradition in Wisconsin.
"I know that sturgeon spearing is a, it's a right around these parts in the woods. These guys have done it, their grandfathers have done it, and so forth. I wouldn't like to see the DNR stop these guys in any way,” says angler, Bob Kantor.
With the approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that tradition lives on.
The Wisconsin DNR declined our request for an interview on this story.
