Jason Arndt, jarndt@shawanoleader.com
Leader Photo by Jason Arndt Dozens of onlookers observe the sturgeon in the Wolf River at Sturgeon Park in Shawano on Tuesday afternoon.
Leader Photo by Jason Arndt Sturgeon swim near the Shawano dam at Sturgeon Park in Shawano on Wednesday.
Dozens of onlookers arrived at Sturgeon Park in Shawano on Tuesday to witness the marvel of the sturgeon after weeks of delay due to cold temperatures.
“We weren’t quite sure when they would show up. We came a couple of weeks ago—they weren’t here yet, so we came today,” said Elizabeth Sanders, a first-grade teacher at Sacred Heart Catholic School.
Lifelong Shawano resident Timothy Martens, 22, made his annual pilgrimage — like the prehistoric fish — to the Shawano dam to observe the sturgeon.
“I like to come because I enjoy the outdoors and I enjoy seeing the fish come up here on the dam,” Martens said. “It is a part of God’s creation, and these fish have been around for so long.
“I have been coming here ever since I was a little kid. I grew up in Shawano and have been coming here since I was 5 years old or probably in grade school.”
Ryan Koenigs, chief sturgeon biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, reported earlier this week that the fish were arriving in Shawano but spawning activity would peak when the water temperature rose above 50 degrees. Temperatures along the Shawano dam registered as high as 51 degrees Tuesday.
According to the DNR, sturgeon typically exhibit some pre-spawn behaviors. The first is porpoising—rising up above or jumping out of the water, which begins a few days before spawning begins and increases in intensity as spawning activity gets closer. The second behavior is known as “cruising” and involves sturgeon, usually males, moving up and down the shoreline, usually one to two days before spawning gets under way.
Both pre-spawn behaviors were evident Tuesday.
Sturgeon were seen jumping out of the Wolf River by Tuesday afternoon and activity intensified as the day progressed.
Gillett resident Leonard Schroeder decided to make his first visit to the Shawano dam after 75 years and enjoyed his initial stay.
“This is the first time I have ever been down here. It is interesting they come right up shore here and see their fins,” Schroeder said.
“I am amazed that they keep coming back here every year to continue this life cycle,” Martens said. “These fish are so old, they are ancient and prehistoric. It is just beautiful to me.”
Schroeder said he will make an effort to return in 2015 to again witness the sturgeon run.
“I never have gotten this close to a sturgeon before,” Schroeder said. “Never been here before, so maybe I will come down here more often.”
The prehistoric fish have been in the ecosystem for thousands of years and can weigh up to 200 pounds and more than 6 feet long.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Lake sturgeon migrate to their annual spawning grounds between late April and early June, preferring to spawn in shallow, rocky areas along river banks.
- Males arrive at the spawning sites ahead of the females, cruising in groups of eight or more, often so close to the surface that their tails, backs or snouts are out of the water.
- The males swim alongside the female, usually against the current, vigorously thrashing their tails as they release milt (sperm) while the female drops her eggs. The fertilized eggs, each about one-eighth inch in diameter, are sticky and cling to rocks and other solid materials in the water until they hatch.
- The quantity of eggs produced by a female can range from 50,000 to 700,000 in one season.
- A female sturgeon reaches sexual maturity when she is 24 to 26 years old and about 55 inches long, and will spawn once every four, five or six years thereafter.
- Males mature at about 15 years, when they are about 45 inches long. Most males spawn every other year, while some do so every year.
- Lake sturgeon grow larger and live longer than any other fish in Wisconsin. Females live longer than males; 97 percent of all sturgeon over 30 years old are females.
- An 82-year-old caught in Lake Winnebago in 1953 is on record as the oldest lake sturgeon in Wisconsin.
— Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources