Department of Natural Resources officials today announced the 2015 Black Lake sturgeon harvest season ended after less than five and a half hours Saturday, Feb. 7, with five fish being harvested. The fishing season, which included spearing or hook-and-line fishing, was scheduled to run Feb. 7-11 or until the harvest quota of five fish had been reached.
First fish caught during 2015 Black Lake sturgeon season, 67-inch female weighing 75 poundsThere were 303 registered anglers on the ice Saturday, up from 228 the year before. Most anglers registered at the preregistration held Friday, Feb. 6, which allowed for a much more streamlined process. Anglers of all ages and genders participated, including a good number of supervised youth.
According to DNR fisheries biologist Tim Cwalinski, the first sturgeon was harvested around 9 a.m. It was a 67-inch female that weighed 75 pounds. Fish number two was taken at 9:33 a.m. and was a 58-inch male weighing 45 pounds. Fish three was a 69-inch female that weighed 80 pounds, taken at 12:35 p.m. Fish four was the day’s largest, a 71-inch female that weighed in at 87 pounds and was taken at 12:50 p.m. The fifth and final fish was harvested at 1:27 p.m. and was a 50-inch female that weighed 31 pounds.
Four of the five fish taken had been captured several times before by Michigan State University and DNR sturgeon researchers during spring spawning runs.
The sturgeon fishing hotline was updated at 1:27 p.m., which officially closed the season. In addition, signal cannons and sirens were used within minutes of the final fish being harvested to indicate the season’s end. DNR law enforcement officials and other department personnel were embedded in the on-ice fishing communities and were able to quickly report harvested fish this year, as well as to quickly contact all lake sturgeon anglers on the ice and close the season.
“The unlimited entry fishery paired with a significant on-ice presence of DNR personnel allows for greater participation by anglers while protecting the population of lake sturgeon in Black Lake from overharvest,” said Cwalinski. “It was deemed a very successful season for angler participation, fish harvest, quick response times, and from a safety perspective.”
Rehabilitation of lake sturgeon in the Cheboygan River watershed is a cooperative effort involving the Department of Natural Resources, the Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon For Tomorrow, Michigan State University and Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership.
“The 2015 sturgeon fishing season on Black Lake was a success, from the angler participation, the Sturgeon Shivaree event, to the harvest,” said Brenda Archambo, president of the Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon For Tomorrow. “This entire weekend shows the link lake sturgeon have to this area, not only biologically, but socially and culturally. We look forward to upcoming years working collaboratively in planning and facilitating future events.”
