08-16-2007, 06:10 PM
Wisconsin's Hook-And-Line Sturgeon Season Opens Sept. 1
Wisconsin's lake sturgeon season opens on Sept. 1, and anglers should note updates to the rules, including an emergency rule that increases the minimum length limit in inland waters to 60 inches and reduces the season length to four weeks.
All of Wisconsin's open waters will be covered by the emergency rule. The sturgeon hook and line season runs Sept. 1 - 30 and there is a one-per-season bag.
"The main concern is the increasing pressure on the lake sturgeon fisheries," says Karl Scheidegger, chairman of the Sturgeon Management Team. "More people are participating in the sport, which is good, but because of that, there's an increasing number of fish being harvested, to the point that in some areas lake sturgeon were being over harvested."
A public hearing will be held on August 13 to give the public the opportunity to review and comment on the emergency rule.
The new minimum length limit will dramatically reduce the harvest on females, allowing them to reproduce more than once before reaching harvestable size.
"Female sturgeon usually first spawn once they reach around 55 inches, and then they only spawn once every 4 to 5 years," says Scheidegger. "If we allow them to grow to 60 inches, we're increasing their reproduction by giving them the chance to spawn at least twice before they're harvested."
The Menominee River, a boundary water co-managed between Michigan and Wisconsin, had the same regulations implemented for the 2006 season. A lake sturgeon harvest assessment in 2005 showed that more than 25 percent of adult sturgeon were being harvested, far above the fisheries management goal of a 5 percent exploitation rate. This resulted in a length limit increase to 60 inches and a reduction in season length to four weeks. More than 100 lake sturgeon were harvested in 2005, and only one was harvested after the regulation change in 2006 on the Menominee River, according to Scheidegger.
The lower Wisconsin River below the Wisconsin Dells Dam is showing similar high exploitation rates at about 36 percent, due to increasing angler pressure. In previous years, there was a minimum size limit that alternated between 50 and 70 inches in alternating years. This season would have been a 50-inch length limit, but the emergency rule amends this to a 60-inch season.
Currently, the lake sturgeon, which is Wisconsin's largest and longest lived fish, is considered to be a species of special concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, Wisconsin still has one of the largest self-sustaining populations of lake sturgeon in the world, but because of its slow growing, late-to-mature nature and angler pressure trends, DNR fisheries staff are trying to closely monitor and manage the sturgeon population responsibly.
"We're still providing an angling opportunity, though there will be fewer fish harvested," says Scheidegger. "Some anglers might be disappointed, but the more people you have fishing, the more pressure on the fisheries. Regulations sometimes have to be more restrictive. They may be a bit harder to swallow, but ultimately, those rules protect the populations needing to be protected."
The 60-inch minimum length limit could reduce the number of lake sturgeon harvested this season by nearly 80 percent, according to Scheidegger. The reduced season length will eliminate any late-season (October) harvest and will also allow law enforcement to concentrate more effectively on sturgeon enforcement.
The emergency rule will pertain to all of Wisconsin's inland waters open for sturgeon fishing, even though some of those aren't experiencing high exploitation rates. Fisheries managers were concerned that otherwise anglers would just move to waters with more liberal rules. Waters open to hook-and-line sturgeon fishing can be found in the 2007 Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations.
"If we changed the rules here and not there, anglers would leave the waters affected by the changes, and head out to waters with lower length limits and a longer season," says Scheidegger.
The St. Croix River below St. Croix Falls, which borders Wisconsin and Minnesota, will not be affected by the emergency rule this season. Opening day is Sept. 1 and the season will close Oct. 15. There is a 50-inch minimum length harvest limit and a one-per-season bag.
The Menominee River has the same regulations per last years change, with an open season from Sept. 1 to 30. Upstream from the Hattie Street dam, sturgeon harvest is allowed with a 60-inch minimum length harvest limit and a one-per-season bag. Downstream from the Hattie Street dam to Green Bay is catch and release only.
If anglers do plan to harvest a sturgeon this season, they must purchase a harvest tag before they fish. The sturgeon harvest tag was implemented for the first time in the 2006 hook and line season. All revenues from the harvest tag sales go directly to projects dedicated to the improvement of sturgeon populations and habitats and therefore, better fishing opportunities.
The harvest tag is available throughout the season and costs $20 for residents and $50 for nonresidents. It can be purchased can be purchased at any DNR Service Center or license sales location, by calling toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4236), or over the Internet through the DNR Web site. Anglers who harvest a legal size fish must immediately attach the harvest tag to the fish and take it to a registration station by 6 p.m. the next day for registration.
All anglers must have a Wisconsin general inland fishing license unless they are under 16 years old, or were born before Jan. 1, 1927. Active military personnel who are Wisconsin residents and in active service but on furlough or leave are eligible to received a free annual fishing license. They still need to purchase the $20 Lake Sturgeon Carcass tag if they plan to keep a lake sturgeon.
For more information, visit the Lake Sturgeon page of the DNR Web site where you can find details about current regulations, restoration efforts, sturgeon distribution and much more.
Wisconsin's lake sturgeon season opens on Sept. 1, and anglers should note updates to the rules, including an emergency rule that increases the minimum length limit in inland waters to 60 inches and reduces the season length to four weeks.
All of Wisconsin's open waters will be covered by the emergency rule. The sturgeon hook and line season runs Sept. 1 - 30 and there is a one-per-season bag.
"The main concern is the increasing pressure on the lake sturgeon fisheries," says Karl Scheidegger, chairman of the Sturgeon Management Team. "More people are participating in the sport, which is good, but because of that, there's an increasing number of fish being harvested, to the point that in some areas lake sturgeon were being over harvested."
A public hearing will be held on August 13 to give the public the opportunity to review and comment on the emergency rule.
The new minimum length limit will dramatically reduce the harvest on females, allowing them to reproduce more than once before reaching harvestable size.
"Female sturgeon usually first spawn once they reach around 55 inches, and then they only spawn once every 4 to 5 years," says Scheidegger. "If we allow them to grow to 60 inches, we're increasing their reproduction by giving them the chance to spawn at least twice before they're harvested."
The Menominee River, a boundary water co-managed between Michigan and Wisconsin, had the same regulations implemented for the 2006 season. A lake sturgeon harvest assessment in 2005 showed that more than 25 percent of adult sturgeon were being harvested, far above the fisheries management goal of a 5 percent exploitation rate. This resulted in a length limit increase to 60 inches and a reduction in season length to four weeks. More than 100 lake sturgeon were harvested in 2005, and only one was harvested after the regulation change in 2006 on the Menominee River, according to Scheidegger.
The lower Wisconsin River below the Wisconsin Dells Dam is showing similar high exploitation rates at about 36 percent, due to increasing angler pressure. In previous years, there was a minimum size limit that alternated between 50 and 70 inches in alternating years. This season would have been a 50-inch length limit, but the emergency rule amends this to a 60-inch season.
Currently, the lake sturgeon, which is Wisconsin's largest and longest lived fish, is considered to be a species of special concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, Wisconsin still has one of the largest self-sustaining populations of lake sturgeon in the world, but because of its slow growing, late-to-mature nature and angler pressure trends, DNR fisheries staff are trying to closely monitor and manage the sturgeon population responsibly.
"We're still providing an angling opportunity, though there will be fewer fish harvested," says Scheidegger. "Some anglers might be disappointed, but the more people you have fishing, the more pressure on the fisheries. Regulations sometimes have to be more restrictive. They may be a bit harder to swallow, but ultimately, those rules protect the populations needing to be protected."
The 60-inch minimum length limit could reduce the number of lake sturgeon harvested this season by nearly 80 percent, according to Scheidegger. The reduced season length will eliminate any late-season (October) harvest and will also allow law enforcement to concentrate more effectively on sturgeon enforcement.
The emergency rule will pertain to all of Wisconsin's inland waters open for sturgeon fishing, even though some of those aren't experiencing high exploitation rates. Fisheries managers were concerned that otherwise anglers would just move to waters with more liberal rules. Waters open to hook-and-line sturgeon fishing can be found in the 2007 Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations.
"If we changed the rules here and not there, anglers would leave the waters affected by the changes, and head out to waters with lower length limits and a longer season," says Scheidegger.
The St. Croix River below St. Croix Falls, which borders Wisconsin and Minnesota, will not be affected by the emergency rule this season. Opening day is Sept. 1 and the season will close Oct. 15. There is a 50-inch minimum length harvest limit and a one-per-season bag.
The Menominee River has the same regulations per last years change, with an open season from Sept. 1 to 30. Upstream from the Hattie Street dam, sturgeon harvest is allowed with a 60-inch minimum length harvest limit and a one-per-season bag. Downstream from the Hattie Street dam to Green Bay is catch and release only.
If anglers do plan to harvest a sturgeon this season, they must purchase a harvest tag before they fish. The sturgeon harvest tag was implemented for the first time in the 2006 hook and line season. All revenues from the harvest tag sales go directly to projects dedicated to the improvement of sturgeon populations and habitats and therefore, better fishing opportunities.
The harvest tag is available throughout the season and costs $20 for residents and $50 for nonresidents. It can be purchased can be purchased at any DNR Service Center or license sales location, by calling toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4236), or over the Internet through the DNR Web site. Anglers who harvest a legal size fish must immediately attach the harvest tag to the fish and take it to a registration station by 6 p.m. the next day for registration.
All anglers must have a Wisconsin general inland fishing license unless they are under 16 years old, or were born before Jan. 1, 1927. Active military personnel who are Wisconsin residents and in active service but on furlough or leave are eligible to received a free annual fishing license. They still need to purchase the $20 Lake Sturgeon Carcass tag if they plan to keep a lake sturgeon.
For more information, visit the Lake Sturgeon page of the DNR Web site where you can find details about current regulations, restoration efforts, sturgeon distribution and much more.