The Associated Press has an article about the reemergence of lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes. They write about it in glowing terms and say scientists are encouraged by these developments.
Sturgeon — prized for its caviar and smoked meat — are slowly starting to make a comeback in areas where water quality has improved. The fish, which are protected in just about every state where they're found, were overfished and nearly disappeared in the early 1900s despite being so abundant on Lake Erie that they were burned for fuel in steamships.
Many obstacles — from poachers to polluters — remain before efforts to restore the sturgeon population will allow them to be fished in more than a handful of waters.
"The biggest problem is we have dams on nearly every spawning river," said Douglas Peterson, a fisheries researcher at the University of Georgia.
The dams limit how far sturgeon can swim upstream to find a spawning site. And it's doubtful that dams built to provide drinking water and electricity will be removed.
Sturgeon also are coveted by poachers who sell their pricey caviar eggs on the black market. Wildlife officers in California broke up a ring in June that netted poaching charges against 17 suspects.
In Wisconsin, volunteers line the rivers near Lake Winnebago during the spring spawning season to protect the sturgeon and their eggs from poachers.
What makes the sturgeon so appealing to environmentalists and anglers is their size and appearance.
They're covered with bony plates and often called "living fossils." There are nine species in North America, and at least one can be found in most states. The Atlantic sturgeon can grow up to 800 pounds while the lake sturgeon can grow to 200 pounds.
And they can live more than 100 years on the bottoms of rivers, which is why they have been able to survive as a species despite pollution and other threats.
What they aren't telling the public is the danger these prehistoric monsters present when they turn themselves into a fishy cruise missile! Just wait until the reports of wounded boaters start coming in! Then it won't be so encouraging.
