OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – A highly-anticipated spring event has begun in Wisconsin.
Sturgeon spawning got underway Sunday night at both the Sturgeon Trail on New London’s County Road X and Shiocton’s Bamboo Bend, according to DNR Fisheries Biologist Ryan Koenigs.
He says the sturgeon at those locations started demonstrating pre-spawning behaviors Sunday morning.
Koenigs noted late Monday morning that spawning had not yet begun below the Shawano Dam or at a few sites further upriver but expects that will happen by week’s end.
For people who want to view the spawning in either New London or Shiocton, Koenigs encourages them to make the trip Tuesday, or early Wednesday at the latest.
He notes sturgeon typically spawn for 2-3 days at a given site.
While citizens take in the spectacle of sturgeon spawning, Koenigs says DNR staff is busy at work.
During spawning, Koenigs notes that crews estimate the length of each fish and determine whether they are male or female.
If the sturgeon have not been tagged with an internal chip during a previous year, that is done as well.
Koenigs says “we look for those tagged fish during the harvest in February and that allows us to estimate how many adult male and female fish are within the population. That’s how we set the harvest cap for the spear fisheries.”
The biologist notes residents can also play an important role in the spawning period by standing guard at one of the locations.
DNR officials look for volunteers to keep watch at sturgeon camps in 12-hour shifts.
Koenigs calls it “a good opportunity for people to see fish spawn and protect these fish during the critical time period when they’re spawning.”
He notes volunteers receive a free, hot meal during each shift.
People can sign up at http://dnr.wi.gov/SGsignUp/.
Koenigs says sturgeon spawning typically brings out large crowds, estimating roughly 5,000 came out each day during last spring’s peak spawning times.
