JIM FALLS, Wisc. – Biologists are in awe after discovering a sturgeon that traveled an astonishing 651 miles down the Mississippi River system from Wisconsin to the Missouri border.
The fish’s impressive journey is now recorded as the longest-known distance a Chippewa River lake sturgeon has traveled, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
“Wow, what a trek,” the agency posted on Facebook, along with a photo of the two Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries biologists who were present for the fish’s encounter.
The sturgeon, which had a Wisconsin floy tag, was found at Lock 26 Dam on the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois. According to Wisconsin state biologists, the sturgeon was tagged on the Chippewa River near Jim Falls, Wisconsin.
The fish was tagged at least a decade ago, and perhaps as long as 25 years ago, based on the color of the floy tag, wildlife officials said.
“Aging slow-growing old fish is difficult, but our best estimate is that this 56.9-inch male lake sturgeon is likely around 30 years old,” the agency adds.
The sturgeon was able to navigate through multiple obstacles on its journey, including passing over three dams on the Chippewa River and navigating through 22 locks and dams on the Mississippi River, according to Wisconsin wildlife officials.
“Considering this fish was likely too large to fit through the trashracks on the dams on the Chippewa River, it would have had to pass through the spillway gates of the dams during high water events,” the agency said. “Downstream movement past dams has been documented for various fish species on the Chippewa River, including lake sturgeon. The locks and dams on the Mississippi River are passible for fish during high water conditions, or when ships travel through the locks.”
The sturgeon was later returned to the Mississippi River at the location where it was captured with an acoustic transmitter. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said it could return to the Chippewa River one day. If it does, the agency’s acoustic transmitter-receivers will detect it.
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Lake sturgeon are not endangered
The bottom-dwelling freshwater fish, which are native to Wisconsin, are living fossils, appearing first about 136 million years ago when the dinosaurs still roamed the Earth and have remained largely unchanged since, like many modern-day fish.
In years past, fishermen had mixed feelings toward the fish. In the 19th century, they were seen as a nuisance and destructive of fishing nets. As a result, they were often killed and left to rot on the shore, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
In the 20th century, however, fishermen began valuing sturgeon for their meat and eggs, harvesting them in large quantities.
Aside from sturgeon, the state is also home to the shovelnose sturgeon – both of which have been greatly affected by overharvest, river fragmentation and changes in habitat, state wildlife officials said.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finished reviewing a request to classify the lake sturgeon as an endangered species. They concluded that it does not currently meet the criteria to be considered endangered.
