In August, the Chippewa Nature Center in Michigan hosted a sturgeon release event in the Tittabawassee River.
In total, 137 sturgeon were released, according to Michigan Live.
Sturgeon are a relic from our past. According to Saginaw Bay Sturgeon Restoration director Michael Kelly, they have been around for "about 130 million years, making them dinosaur-like in age and how they look."
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However, sturgeon are "the most endangered species group on earth," according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Overfishing, water pollution, vessel strikes, and habitat loss have contributed to a decline in sturgeon populations.
The Sturgeon Industry Alliance of America (SIAA) reports that one-third of all sturgeon species have gone extinct, leaving only 26 species, all of which are at least vulnerable. In Michigan, the current sturgeon population is believed to be only 1% of its peak, according to Sea Grant Michigan.
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"For most of that time, they've done just fine," Kelly said. "It was only the last couple of hundred years where they had problems."
Saginaw Bay Sturgeon Restoration has made efforts to restore the population of Lake Sturgeon in the area. In May and early June, the group captured young sturgeon, about one centimeter long, and housed them at the Black River Sturgeon Facility.
"At this stage in their life, pretty much nothing can eat them," said Doug Larson, a Michigan State University research assistant at the Black River Sturgeon Facility. "At the hatchery, we act as a barrier to predation."
One sturgeon remained with the group to be displayed at the Chippewa Nature Visitor Center, a symbol of the partnerships in the area to increase sturgeon populations. The fish will then be released into the Tittabawassee River.
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Definitely 👍 "It's going to jump into a 150-gallon tank and it's going to hang out there for the next nine months," said Jenn Kirts, Chippewa Nature Center director of programs.
Since 2017, Saginaw Bay Sturgeon Restoration has released nearly 7,000 sturgeons back into their natural habitats.
Sturgeon restoration efforts include combating overfishing, restoring their habitats, and fish stocking, where conservationists raise fish in hatcheries and release them, like Saginaw Bay Sturgeon Restoration's efforts.
Other conservation efforts have been made to address endangered fish populations across the world. In New Zealand, officials placed an emergency ban on fishing to protect endangered species.
An Aquarium in Australia successfully bred and released 250 southern pygmy perch into local waters. Recently, in Big Stone Lake in Minnesota, lake sturgeon made their first appearance in the waters since 1946.
In Michigan, local breweries have been raising awareness and funds for sturgeon restoration by releasing sturgeon-themed beer.
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