Sturgeon porpoises in Wolf River below the Shawano Dam, April 18, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
SHAWANO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The run is on.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, sturgeon are starting to spawn.
In Shawano, the dam on the Wolf River marks the end of the line. It also provides a unique place to watch the activity.
At Sturgeon Park in Shawano, Cecil Fuss is looking for signs of the season.
“Just grocery shopping at Charlie’s. Thought I’d come down, see if the sturgeon are up. Most years they’re in here pretty thick by this time. But they’re pretty late this year,” said Fuss.
Across the Wolf River at Shawano Specialty Papers, Little Rapids Corporation President & CEO Angie Sheehan is getting ready for sturgeon to arrive.
“So far, we’ve seen one sighting,” said Sheehan.
Experts say the prehistoric fish typically start to spawn when the water temperature is around 53 degrees. Sheehan says DNR crews use the privacy of the shoreline to handle and process spawning sturgeon.
“They pull fish from the river, tag them, mark them. Do their studies, and we can expect them as soon as we get a good healthy population of fish for them to work with,” she said.
Sheehan says the mill has been on site for a century.
“We have generations of people who have worked at this mill, just like we have generations of fish that are right outside our facility. And we’re really proud of that, and we thought now’s the time for us to really talk about who we are and what we do and the role that we play in this really incredible natural phenomenon,” she said.
Meanwhile, Fuss says he’s still looking for signs of the spawning season.
“I only see a couple tailing right now. In another week, I would think they’d be in here, stacked up like firewood. They’re just thick,” he said.
With the sturgeon run just beginning, experts say it could last a matter of days, or longer.
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