Dispersal of Stocked Lake Sturgeon in Wisconsin Waters of Lake Superior

Abstract

Lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, are the subject of a lake wide rehabilitation effort in Lake Superior. Hatch- ery-reared fry and fingerling lake sturgeon were released in the St. Louis River as part of a reintroduction project. Between 1985 and 2007, stocked lake sturgeon dispersal was monitored by capturing and tagging fish during routine gill net assess- ments in Wisconsin waters of Lake Superior. The capture location of 1,219 lake sturgeon averaged 26 km from the mouth of the St. Louis River. Fifty-three tagged lake sturgeon were recaptured in the western arm of the lake, nine were recaptured in the Apostle Islands and four fish were recaptured in Ontario. Eighty percent of the tagged recaptures came from an area be- tween Duluth, MN and Bark Point, WI. The distribution of lake sturgeon caught in assessment nets in Wisconsin waters and the movement patterns of tagged recaptures indicated lake sturgeon stocked in the St. Louis River generally remained within the extreme western arm of Lake Superior.