The sizeable sturgeon was caught using a frozen round goby as bait, attached to a line that reached deep into the Detroit river, reports Mike Jordan for the Guardian. Officials suspect it may also be one of the largest lake sturgeons ever recorded in the United States. Weighing in at 240 pounds and measuring nearly seven feet long with a girth of about four feet, the female fish is estimated to be at least 100 years old, reports Annamarie Sysling for NPR. In addition, by cleaning recreational equipment and using clean ballast technology, people can help prevent the spread of invasive species and diseases that threaten these fish.On April 22, during an annual survey of the lake sturgeon population in a river in Michigan, biologists reeled in a colossal catch. Lake sturgeon are also vulnerable to changes in water levels and increased runoff associated with extreme weather and climate change.Īnglers can help lake sturgeon by releasing the fish if caught. Climatic variability could also disrupt the timing of sturgeon reproduction and length of optimal fish growth periods as environmental cues shift and warming waters affect stream ecological processes and ecosystem health. To make matters worse, this species is now faced with further negative impacts by pollution, the destruction of main food sources, and invasive aquatic species-impacts that are likely to be exacerbated by climate change.Ĭlimate change is expected to further threaten this fish as rising water temperatures greatly decrease the quality and quantity of spawning and nursery habitats. Lake sturgeon, however, have reproductive traits that make rehabilitation of the species difficult, including delayed maturation and periodic interrupted spawning cycles. In 1994, lake sturgeon were designated as a threatened species in Michigan, marking the beginning of recovery programs to attempt to revive the population.
Lake sturgeon were once abundant throughout the Great Lakes system until overfishing in the 1800s and early 1900s decimated their populations.
0 kommentar(er)
