Officials at the Toledo Zoo in Ohio are hopeful that a new fish hatchery on the Maumee River will help reestablish the lake sturgeon population in Lake Erie.
The Maumee River is one of Lake Erie’s largest tributaries and was the spawning location for an abundant population until the species was overfished to near extinction during the 1800s. Lake sturgeon can live up to 150 years and grow to over six feet in length.
The Zoo will raise 1,500 lake sturgeon when eggs are delivered in June. Hatchlings will be released into the Maumee River later in the summer. Officials hope that the natal homing instincts of the sturgeon will bring them back to the Maumee River to spawn once they reach a mature age.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act provided funding for the program.
