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Lake
Sturgeon:
White Earth Indian Reservation
 The
waters of the White Earth Indian Reservation are now
home to lake sturgeon, once common to the area. Assisted
by the Rainy River First Nation in Canada, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the White Earth
Indian band has entered into an agreement to reintroduce
lake sturgeon in White Earth and Round lakes, located
within the White Earth Reservation in Becker and Mahnomen
Counties.
 Lake sturgeon
are primitive fish which at one time inhabited many
of Minnesota large rivers and connected lakes. Native
American cultures were
partially dependent on the availability of lake sturgeon.
Indian villages were often located near water were sturgeon
spawned. Early European settlement of Lake of the Woods
hinged, in part, on commercial fishing for lake sturgeon,
which provided caviar and fine flesh that quickly gained
worldwide acclaim.
Historically,
lake sturgeon were found in the Red River, its tributaries,
and a number of lakes in the watershed. In 1926, a lake
sturgeon weighing 176 pounds was caught in White Earth
Lake. Since the turn of the century, lake sturgeon populations
have declined due mainly to the construction of dams
and water quality problems. There are several proposed
water quality improvement, and projects, in the works
planned in the Red River and its tributaries. The last
record of a lake sturgeon in this area came from Lake
Lida in 1957.
 The management
goal for the restoration program is to annually stock
8,000 fingerlings in White Earth Lake and an additional
5,000 fingerlings in
Round Lake for an initial period of five years. The
fingerlings will be raised by the Rainy River First
Nation or the Fish and Wildlife Service and should be
five inches prior to stocking. The origin of the lake
sturgeon will be the Rainy River which is a suitable
genetic source for the reintroduction. The USFWS will
assist the White Earth staff by tagging the sturgeon
prior to stocking and monitoring their growth and survival
thereafter.
Lake sturgeon
are a slow-growing, long-lived species. They mature
late in life. It takes males 13-16 years to reach sexual
maturity and females 20 years or more. Lake sturgeon
spawn in the spring over rocky wind-swept shorelines
in lakes or near rapids in flowing waters when water
temperatures reach 50° F. Female sturgeon can produce
up to 700,000 eggs which hatch in approximately 8 days.
Although their diet consists largely of insect larvae
and crayfish, the reintroduction of lake sturgeon is
not expected to impact populations of important game
fish species. From a long term perspective, lake sturgeon
have tremendous sport fishing potential as evidenced
by the popularity of the spring sturgeon fishery available
on the Rainy River.
 The point
of contact for this project is:
Scott Yess Scott_Yess@fws.gov
(608) 783-8432
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