2024-Mar-31
A University of Windsor Project Aims to Bolster Sturgeon Populations
A University of Windsor project, in partnership with the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER), is raising sturgeon for release with the goal of rebuilding a healthy, self-sustaining lake sturgeon population in the Detroit River. The project is focused on naturalizing juvenile sturgeon to their environment so future generations can flourish in the wild.
Raised in tanks on the Detroit River, researchers are studying young sturgeon in varied environments to see how different factors affect their growth. Upon eventual release, these young fish can then be monitored and tracked for decades to come due to their slow growth and long lifespans.
Once incredibly abundant, the Great Lakes sturgeon population is currently listed as endangered. It is estimated that the current population of lake sturgeon in the Great Lakes is less than 1% of its historical numbers with overfishing and the loss of spawning habitats from the regulation of water flows (dams) as some of the key causes of decline for the species.
Read more about this restoration project here.