U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determines lake sturgeon do not require listing under Endangered Species Act – Outdoor News
Bloomington, Minn. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced on Monday, April 22, that after conducting a thorough species status assessment using the best available science, the agency determined that lake sturgeon do not require listing under the Endangered Species Act.
The Service’s 12-month finding shows ongoing management efforts, such as fish stocking, have contributed to the conservation and resiliency of the species.
Sturgeons have a prehistoric appearance because of their large size, shark-like tails, and bony plate-armored covering. Tracing its origins back at least 150 million years, the lake sturgeon is one of the largest freshwater fish in North America occupying rivers and lakes across the eastern and central United States and Canada.
The most widespread ongoing conservation action considered in the assessment was the stocking of captive-reared lake sturgeon. Stocking programs have led to increases in adult lake sturgeon and spawning behaviors.
Although populations are not at historical levels, these successful programs have both bolstered existing populations and returned lake sturgeon to areas where they had disappeared, such as the Red River of the North, the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, the Middle Mississippi River, and the Coosa River.
Other successful conservation measures include restoring habitat connectivity through dam removal, fish passages and habitat restoration.
