International Effort for Sturgeon a Block-Buster

Wildlife Conservancy Plays Key Role 

A historic U.S – Canada project to restore important fish habitat came off smoothly this fall.  Barge operators dropped limestone and fieldstone in the Detroit River in waters up to 20 feet deep while divers below monitored the building of a 600 X 150 foot reef for the threatened lake sturgeon.  When the action was over in late October, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge had a new spawning grounds that marked the first time both Canadian and U.S. money was pooled for a common habitat rehabilitation project in the Great Lakes.

Several years ago, biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey had found an area of the Detroit River, along the shore of Fighting Island, that had the right combination of flow, current speed, depth, and other factors to attract the big fish, which are 30-120 pounds when of spawning age and can reach more than 200 pounds.  Pre-project population studies confirmed that adult sturgeon congregated in the Fighting Island area despite lack of suitable spawning grounds.  Over 8 million cubic yards of gravel had been dredged out of that part of the Detroit River in the early 1900s.  Over-fishing and water pollution also took a toll on what was once a world-renowned sturgeon fishery.

Fishing regulations and pollution controls have now set the stage for a sturgeon rebound, and the recently-completed project strategically replaced some key physical habitat.   The effort attracted an unique set of partners.  The governments of both nations were involved, with funding coming from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, National (U.S.) Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Canada-Ontario Agreement through the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.  The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy was the only American private non-profit to make a major contribution with a commitment of $30,000.  And two U.S. companies—DTE Energy and BASF—also provided construction funds.  The Essex Region Conservation Authority (of Canada) served as general contractor for the project, and additional technical support came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Landmark Engineers, Inc. (a Canadian firm), the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, Michigan Sea Grant, and several other agencies and organizations.

“We put back just a little of the spawning habitat that was once there,” said Michigan Wildlife Conservancy President Dave Haywood, of Lansing.  “But this is an important step in restoring the native fauna of a key part of the Great Lakes.”

The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only international refuge in North America and has 48 miles of what was once some of the continent’s most productive shoreline for fish and wildlife.  Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Refuge is gradually expanding, and provides critical habitat for many species of birds and fish that conservationists hope to see recover from decades of habitat loss.

The sturgeon is a great example.  The current population is only about 1 percent of what it was 150 years ago.  From 1970 to 1999, no sturgeon spawning was documented in the Detroit River.  But since then, sturgeon have attempted to spawn in a few areas of the River, and are reproducing near Port Huron in the St. Clair River.  More of those fish have been showing up down river near Fighting Island, and now, thanks to the efforts of two countries, the lake sturgeon has a chance to make a come-back.

“With our U.S. partners, we are rebuilding a valuable shared resource and its biodiversity,” said Canadian Member of Parliament, Jeff Watson.

“The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy is very proud to have joined Canadian and American agencies, organizations, and businesses in completing this sturgeon spawning reef,” said MWC Executive Director Dennis Fijalkowski.

Lake Sturgeon Fast Facts  

• Once common and widespread, the species dramatically declined around 1900; it now has a limited distribution in the Great Lakes region, and is a threatened species in Michigan waters.

• Inland populations in Michigan are sparse and restricted primarily to the Manistique, Menominee, Sturgeon, and Indian Rivers in the Upper Peninsula, and the Cheboygan River (including Burt, Mullet, and Black Lakes) in the Lower Peninsula.  Occasionally, sturgeon show up in other rivers such as the Grand, Muskegon and Saginaw.

• Lake sturgeon spend a lot of their time in waters 20 to 40 feet deep.  They spawn in May or June in a variety of depths, typically 6 to 28 feet.  While on river spawning grounds, sturgeon often break the surface with porpoise-like jumps.  Females lay several hundred thousand eggs at a time.

• Females become sexually mature at 25 years of age, males at 15.  Females spawn every 4 to 6 years, and males every other year.  Some individual sturgeon have lived 150 years.

• Sturgeon feed on sand or muck bottoms where they suck in bottom organisms including crayfish, snails, and larvae of mayflies and other insects.

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