Successful sturgeon spearing shortens 2008 season

Harvest caps hit Monday close season Tuesday

OSHKOSH, Wis. – The 2008 lake sturgeon spearing season on the Lake Winnebago system will close at the end of the day on Tuesday, Feb. 12 after sturgeon spearers succeeded in hitting the 90 percent triggers put in place to protect the species on the system.

“The trigger to end the season occurred when the total adult females taken in Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes on Monday brought the combined total harvest of adult females to 528, which was over 90 percent of the harvest cap of 556,” said Ron Bruch, DNR fisheries biologist and sturgeon specialist. “Clear water this year gave spearers great visibility down to about 16 feet, so sturgeon were much more visible this year. In years with less water clarity, spearers would not have seen sturgeon swimming at that depth. That water clarity led to a very successful opening day harvest of 806 fish.”

Spearers placed a total of 3,683 shanties on the ice this year and braved bitter cold and high winds that drifted to repeatedly cover ice roads to push up the totals and trigger the harvest caps.

The cap and trigger system was developed by DNR fisheries managers with the input and approval of numerous fishing groups. Today, those separate groups each send a representative to a 28-member super group called the Winnebago Citizens Sturgeon Advisory Committee. That committee will meet this spring with DNR staffers to discuss the results of this season and to recommend any changes for next year. The system cap and trigger system has been in place since 1997.

The 2008 sturgeon season opened on Saturday, Feb. 9 and was scheduled to run through Sunday, Feb. 24 unless spearers reached pre-set harvest caps. The season closed at 12:30 on Tuesday.

Final numbers on this year’s season will be release to media on Tuesday afternoon.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron Bruch, DNR Senior Sturgeon Biologist - 920-424-3059 or Tom Turner, DNR Public Affairs Manager – 920-662-5122