Syracuse.com - Cayuga Lake lake sturgeon stocking gives the threatened species a boost (See video)

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There's good evidence collected from sightings and gill netting outings, that adult sturgeon are alive and well in the lake. Watch video

It's been a long time coming, but lake sturgeon are finally coming back in certain waterways across the state.

Local lake sturgeon numbers got a boost this past week when state Department of Environmental Conservation staff stocked 2,500 fingerlings from a boat, and also from shore at the Cayuga State Park boat launch on Cayuga Lake's northwestern end.

The fingerlings, averaging 6 inches, were raised at the DEC's Oneida fish hatchery in Constantia on Oneida Lake.

The DEC began efforts to bring back lake sturgeon in 1994, stocking Oneida Lake, Cayuga Lake and several other rivers across the state. Lake sturgeon were last stocked in Cayuga Lake back in 2000, said Emily Zollweg-Horan, a DEC aquatic biologist responsible for managing the Cayuga Lake fisheries.

Why now? Why Cayuga Lake?

"Because we have some," Zollweg-Horan said.

 

She noted there's good evidence collected from sightings and gill netting outings, that adult sturgeon are alive and well in the lake. Some are approaching or are at the spawning stage of their lives, which they reach when they get 15 to 20 years old, she said.

In addition to the stocking, Zollweg-Horan and other DEC staffers set and pulled out gill nets on Cayuga Lake this past week. Thursday, they captured, tagged and released 10 big lake sturgeon in the northern and central areas of the lake. The largest measured 64 inches and weighed 70 pounds.

She said the extensive and relatively shallow mud flats at the lake's northern are favorable to their survival. Lake sturgeon are bottom feeders, eating small invertebrates, mussels and small fish.

Zollweg-Horan said each of the fingerlings stocked in Cayuga lake had tiny metal slivers (tags) inserted in their noses, with either small hash tags or numbers on them. Years from now, the metal tags will enable researchers using metal detectors to differentiate them from naturally born fish.

Those helping out with Monday's stocking included Bill Evans, manager of the Oneida hatchery; John Gray, a fish culturalist at the hatchery; Heather Bull, a fish and wildlife technician from the DEC's Cortland office and Justin Ecret, a volunteer from Cortland.

Other waterways getting stocked this fall, each receiving batches of 1,000 fingerlings, include the Salmon River, Raquette River, St. Regis River and the Genesee River. The St. Lawrence River is scheduled to get more than 5,000 fingerlings, Zollweg-Horan said. The fingerlings will come from either the Oneida hatchery or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife hatchery in Genoa, Wisc., she said.

Lake sturgeon, the largest fish native to Great lakes basin, first appeared "during the Upper Cretaceous period 136 million years ago when dinosaurs still walked the earth," according to the DEC website. They can grow up to seven feet or more in length, achieving weights of up to 300 pounds. Males live as long as 55 years and females live as long as 80 to 150 years.

"The biggest one I've ever seen measured about 6 ½ feet," Zollweg-Horan said.

Lake sturgeon were once abundant in Lake Ontario, but virtually disappeared due to over fishing, the building of dams and habitat degradation. The fish is currently on the state's "threatened species" list.

The DEC is currently partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Cornell University and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe to bring lake sturgeon back. Officials in recent years have noted sturgeon in Oneida Lake seem to be the fastest growing of all those stocked.

Among the activities being undertaken across the state to ensure their survival include "protection from fishing harvest, habitat improvements, stocking of fingerlings, and evaluations of the success of all these efforts," according to the DEC website.

Zollweg-Horan expressed confidence that the spiny, leathery skinned fingerlings stocked Monday will make in Cayuga Lake.

"They're not appetizing for other fish," she said. "They should do OK."

Still a 'threatened species'

Lake sturgeon are listed as a threatened species in this state. There is no open season to fish for them. Possession is prohibited. Those who unintentionally hook one should:

1). Avoid bringing the fish into the boat if possible.

2). Use pliers to remove the hook. Sturgeon are almost always hooked in the mouth.

3). Always support the fish horizontally. Do not hold sturgeon in a vertical position by their head, gills or tails, even for taking pictures.

4). Never touch their eyes or gills.

5). Minimize their time out of the water.

**Source: DEC

Catch a sturgeon?

Report your catch to the DEC's Cortland office at 1-607-753-3095, Ext. 201.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog