Two lake sturgeon that were stranded by drought conditions in an Upper Peninsula waterway were rescued and moved to a location with deeper water, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said in a news release on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
The sturgeon, sometimes known as "dinosaur" fish because of their ancient origins, were found stranded in a shallow area near the Ontonagon River in Baraga County. A concerned person reached out to the DNR after spotting the fish.
"Not great if you're a lake sturgeon," the DNR said of being caught in the shallow water.
Two fisheries technicians who were in the area were notified. They netted and relocated the pair of fish nearly a mile from where they were stranded.
"Thanks to a concerned outdoorsperson, the DNR
fisheries team and a little bit of luck, these fish are back in the Ontonagon River for what we hope will be a long time," the DNR said.
What is a lake sturgeon?
Lake sturgeon are one of the oldest species in the Great Lakes.
Lake sturgeon are freshwater fish native to Michigan, the only sturgeon species found in the Great Lakes. They have five rows of bony plates called scutes on their backs and sides, as well as whisker-like barbels near their mouths.
Often referred to as “living fossils” or “dinosaur fish,” lake sturgeon first appeared in the fossil record in the Mesozoic Era, 100 million to 150 million years ago, according to the DNR.
The fish are long-lived, with some documented at more than 100 years old. Recent research suggests the fish can live to be 300 years old.
Scientists knew the fish were long-lived, but the estimates were in the 80 to 100 years range. The oldest known specimen was captured at Lake of the Woods on the border between Minnesota and Canada in 1953 and estimated at 152 years old.
"I feel pretty comfortable saying that lake sturgeon can live to be 400 years old," said Edward Baker, DNR research station manager with the Marquette Fisheries Research Station, and coauthor of the peer-reviewed study reassessing lake sturgeon longevitypublished this spring in the Journal of Fish Biology.
Sturgeon grow very slowly, but can reach 8 feet and 300 pounds. It takes about 15 years for male lake sturgeon to reach reproductive maturity and 20-25 years for females, Sea Grant Michigan said.
"To say that lake sturgeon are a major part of Michigan’s aquatic history doesn’t quite do them justice,” said Patrick Ertel, with the Habitat Management Unit of the DNR’s Fisheries Division. “These fish have been around for more than 100 million years, which may be hard to even comprehend."
How many different species of fish are in Michigan waters?
Michigan is home to 155 different kinds of fish. Some fish, such as sunfish, are open to catch year-round while others, like walleye, bass and sturgeon, have specific seasons.
— Free Press writer Keith Matheny contributed.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: U.P. outdoorsman helps save pair of 'dinosaur' fish. What happened
