Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials have captured a lake sturgeon of an unprecedented size on the Wolf River near Shawano. At eighty-seven inches long and more than two hundred pounds in weight, the fish is thought to be the biggest lake sturgeon ever captured in US history. The specimen may be the oldest freshwater fish ever recorded to have been caught, with experts estimating its age at about 125 years.
After being tagged by DNR fisheries crew, the fish was released back into the water to complete its spawning cycle. The DNR tags and releases sturgeon every year as part of their population study, and the Lake Winnebago system supports one of the largest lake sturgeon populations in the world.
Additionally, some of the spawning fish’s eggs and milt are collected to help with sturgeon restoration projects in other parts of Wisconsin and other states. Statistics from the past few years indicate that the system’s sturgeon population is growing and that more fish are maturing.
The record female sturgeon has lived through interesting times. Sturgeon expert Ron Bruch designed a timeline that highlights the fish’s main life events to help put things in perspective:
1887 – Sturgeon is hatched. Grover Cleveland is U.S. president and Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show opens in London.
1914 – The fish makes its first spawning run at the age of 27. Events in Europe later that year set off the outbreak of World War I.
1915 – Wisconsin enacts a statewide closure on sturgeon harvest to protect the population.
1932 – 45 years old is the fish’s age. On Lake Winnebago, the state hosts the first spearing season in modern times. The first female pilot to cross the Atlantic on her own is Amelia Earhart.
1945 – In its 58th year, the fish makes its eighth spawning run. World War II ends.
1969 – The fish, which is 82 years old, has survived 10 seasons on the Upper Lakes and 38 seasons of spearing on Lake Winnebago. Neil Armstrong takes a moonwalk.
1990 – Milwaukee native Dan Folz retires as sturgeon biologist and is replaced by Ron Bruch. The Soviet Union breaks up.
2012 – At the Shawano dam, DNR personnel catch the 125-year-old fish during its 25th spawning run. Ron Bruch’s replacement as sturgeon scientist is Ryan Koenigs.
And although this sturgeon is the largest lake sturgeon ever caught in the U.S., and probably the oldest fish ever caught, there are sturgeons lurking in the waters of Canada, for example, that are even much bigger. Just take a look at the giant below, captured on camera by Yves Bisson Sturgeon Co.
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