Want to help stop sturgeon poachers?
The Black
Lake Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow in Cheboygan County is seeking additional
volunteers to join in its effort, in partnership with the Michigan Department
of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement and Fisheries Divisions, to help protect lake
sturgeon from illegal harvest during the annual spawning run.
The late
onset of spring weather slowed the start of the annual sturgeon spawning run in
the Black River. Traditionally, the spawning runs begins around the end of
April. However, due to cold temperatures and late snow melt, the sturgeon did
not appear in the river until the second week of May. Therefore, the spawning
run is expected to go on into mid-June. Volunteers are needed to fill guarding
shifts now through June 10.
Every
spring, mature lake sturgeon – a fish species that is threatened in Michigan
and rare throughout the United States – become vulnerable to poaching as they
briefly leave Black Lake for spawning sites upstream in the Black River. Volunteers
are needed to stand guard along the Black River during the spawning season to
report any suspicious activity and deter the unlawful take of this fish.
Individuals
or groups interested in volunteering should contact Mark and Ann Feldhauser at 906-346-9511.
Volunteers can also register online at www.sturgeonfortomorrow.org/guarding-program.php
or web search Sturgeon for Tomorrow, Black Lake Chapter.
Volunteers
are encouraged to camp along the banks of the Black River. There is no charge for
camping on the state land adjacent to the Black River.
Lake
sturgeon rehabilitation in the Cheboygan River watershed is a cooperative
effort involving the Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow, the Michigan
DNR, Michigan State University and the Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership.
In
addition to the guarding program, this effort includes activities such as
tagging adult sturgeon and raising young fish for stocking in Black, Burt and
Mullet Lakes.
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