Lake Sturgeon Spear Fishery on the Winnebago System (Wisconsin, USA)
Lake Sturgeon Spear Fishery on the Winnebago System (Wisconsin, USA)
The 2016 Lake Sturgeon spear fishery commenced on February 13 and concluded on February 28 (16 days). This traditional harvest method is annually permitted for a maximum of 16 days and operates under a harvest cap system to keep exploitation at or below a sustainable level of 5% of the adult population. Perspective spearers must purchase a spearing license prior to an October 31 deadline, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff registers every fish harvested. Important biological data including length, weight, sex, reproductive stage, and presence of tags are recorded for every fish, while aging structures and stomachs are removed from a sample of fish for age and diet analysis. Poor water clarity contributed to a reduced harvest of 703 Lake Sturgeon during the 2016 season, which is substantially less than harvests each of the last two seasons (1,870 fish in 2014 and 2,158 fish in 2015). There were 19 fish 45 kg or larger harvested with the largest fish being 66.6 kg (196 cm).
Contact: Ryan Koenigs (Ryan.koenigs@wisconsin.gov; (920)303-5450)