A sturgeon (file photo)
(WTAQ-WLUK) — An out-of-state environmental group is preparing a lawsuit that aims to protect lake sturgeon, two years after officials deemed the prehistoric fish do not need to be listed under the Endangered Species Act.
If successful, the move could threaten to end the annual sturgeon spearing season in Wisconsin, an area Republican lawmaker claims.
The Center for Biological Diversity intends to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over their April 2024 decision that denied ESA protections for lake sturgeon. The CBD believes the agency acted illegally.
“The Fish and Wildlife Service applied the wrong standard and ignored key scientific evidence, such as genetic differences and distinct behavioral differences among populations. The law requires that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consider that information,” CBD Senior Freshwater Attorney Meg Townsend said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service conducted its assessment after the CBD requested sturgeon receive ESA protections.
In a news release from the agency in April 2024, Midwest Regional Director Will Meeks said:
Today’s announcement shows the power of collaborative conservation and the impact it can have for species like the lake sturgeon. The fact that we’re seeing more and more lake sturgeon populations spawning in their historical habitat is a clear sign that restoration efforts are progressing. This success is credited to many partners including states, Tribes, local organizations and others across the country coming together to conserve this species.
Townsend said her group simply wants the struggling sturgeon population listed under the Endangered Species Act.
“For a long-lived species like lake sturgeon, which takes decades to reproduce sometimes, those long-term protections are essential — and they’re crucial right now, as the species is facing, in some places, 99% losses,” Townsend said.
Rep. Tony Wied, R-8th District, objects to the intended lawsuit. Last year, he introduced legislation pushing back against ESA protections.
“The SPEAR Act exempts sturgeon from being placed on the Endangered Species Act. Here we have an environmentalist group, a radical group, that is coming in and trying to upend our culture, our way of life. We’ve done a really good job here in Northeastern Wisconsin, public-private partnerships and maintaining the habitat,” Wied said.
The SPEAR Act has not yet been signed into law, but Wied hopes that will change soon. Townsend is confident the group’s intent to sue will result in better protections for sturgeon.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has 60 days to make changes before the Center for Biological Diversity’s lawsuit is officially filed.
When announcing this past sturgeon spearing season, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said the lake sturgeon from Lake Winnebago continues to be one of the healthiest populations in the world.
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