DEC and Partners Release 1,000 Lake Sturgeon in Cattaraugus Creek

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced a milestone in the restoration of lake sturgeon in Lake Erie. DEC, in partnership with the Seneca Nation of Indians and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, successfully released 1,000 eight-inch lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) into Cattaraugus Creek. This recent stocking represents the first step in a 25-year plan to reestablish a spawning population of adult lake sturgeon in the Cattaraugus Creek.

"Under Governor Kathy Hochul's leadership and in partnership with the Seneca Nation of Indians and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New York is making tremendous strides in restoring and improving the health of the Lake Erie ecosystem," DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. "The successful collaboration leading to this sturgeon release sets the path to re-establishing historic spawning populations and bolstering growth of the wild Lake Erie sturgeon stock for years to come."

Lake Erie historically supported at least 19 spawning populations of lake sturgeon, including in Cattaraugus Creek. Traditional ecological knowledge provided by the Seneca Nation of Indians indicates that the Cattaraugus Creek historically supported a spawning population of lake sturgeon that provided the opportunity to harvest fish each year. Presently, there are only two wild spawning populations of lake sturgeon remaining - one in the east basin of the lake near Buffalo Harbor and the other in the west basin in the St. Clair Detroit River System.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service raised the sturgeon at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery in Wisconsin. Each fish has a pit tag implant allowing individual identification following release. Transporting these fish from Wisconsin to New York involved cooperation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hatchery staff, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and personnel from the DEC's Chautauqua Hatchery. After their long journey these released sturgeon will become familiar with Cattaraugus Creek, and travel to Lake Erie. They will spend 8 to 10 years in the lake maturing into an adult and then return to Cattaraugus Creek to spawn. After completing 25 years of planned stocking, these efforts should result in approximately 750 sturgeon reaching maturity and spawning in Cattaraugus Creek by 2040.

The lake sturgeon is one of New York State's largest freshwater fish. Mature adults can live more than 100 years, sometimes reaching lengths of seven feet long and weighing more than 300 pounds. These fish may mature after eight years and will breed intermittently in swiftly flowing rivers and large creeks. Efforts to restore Lake Sturgeon populations across the state are described in the New York State Lake Sturgeon Recovery Plan 2018-2024. DEC is currently in the process of updating the plan, which will incorporate Cattaraugus Creek restoration efforts.

Due to low populations, fishing for lake sturgeon is prohibited in New York State. To learn more about lake sturgeon management, visit the DEC lake sturgeon webpage.