This year, Genoa National Fish Hatchery (GNFH) staff collected lake sturgeon eggs from the Wolf, Rainy, Sturgeon, St. Clair, and St. Lawrence Rivers. Throughout the summer, hatchery biologists, pathways students, and seasonal employees worked hard to feed and care for these fish. As fall arrived, it was time to tag them before release to their stocking locations.
Tagging is critical for restoration efforts—coded wire tags, PIT tags, and acoustic tags allow resource managers to track growth, survival, and movements.

Photo: Genoa Fish Hatchery staff netting tagged lake sturgeon to be put on a hauling truck for transport to designated stocking location. Photo Credit: Jadon Motquin/USFWS

Key Highlights:
• Wolf River strain: GNFH partnered with Wisconsin DNR and UW-Stevens Point for collection and raising; over 3,000 lake sturgeon were coded wire tagged with help from volunteers and stocked in the Cumberland River, TN.
• Rainy River strain: GNFH collaborated with Minnesota DNR, La Crosse Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (FWCO), Valley City NFH, and Garrison Dam NFH for collection, raising, and release; over 11,000 lake sturgeon were coded wire tagged with help from volunteers and stocked in the Lower Red Lake Basin, MN.
• St. Clair River strain: GNFH worked with Alpena FWCO and Detroit River Substation, Michigan DNR, Toledo Zoo, and Algoma University (Canda); over 5,000 fish were tagged with PIT tags for tracking for future growth and survival rates in the Flint, Cass, Shiawassee, Tittabawassee, Cuyahoga, Maumee, Sandusky, and Cattaraugus Rivers and acoustic tags were used for tracking in rivers like Cuyahoga and Maumee.
• Sturgeon River strain: GNFH partnered with Ashland FWCO, Iron River NFH, Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Ottawa National Forest, Minnesota DNR, and Michigan DNR; over 4,500 fish were PIT tagged for growth and survival tracking and released in Upper and Lower St. Louis River, MN and Ontonagon River, MI.
• St. Lawrence strain: GNFH collaborated with New York Field Office, NY DEC, Oneida State Fish Hatchery, NY Power Authority, and Ontario Power Generation; over 22,000 fish were coded wire tagged and stocked in 6 rivers and 3 lakes in New York.
These partnerships and volunteer efforts are vital to the success of lake sturgeon restoration. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible! We look forward to another successful season next year.
By: Jadon Motquin

Photo: Genoa Fish Hatchery staff collecting length and weight data and PIT tagging lake sturgeon to be later stocked in the Ontonagon River in Michigan. Photo Credit: Jadon Motquin/USFWS