(WXYZ) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reminding anglers about how to protect lake sturgeon while fishing this spring and summer.
Special regulations exist for lake sturgeon, and fishing for lake sturgeon is prohibited except for a few locations in the state.
According to the DNR, lake sturgeon may be encountered in waters like Manistee Lake, the Manistee River, Muskegon Lake, the Muskegon River, the Grand River, the Kalamazoo River and Saginaw Bay and its tributaries in the Lower Peninsula.
Any lake sturgeon incidentally caught while targeting other species must be immediately released. If you do unintentionally catch one, follow these steps:
- Do not hold the sturgeon in a vertical position by its head, gill covers or tail.
- Do not touch the fish’s eyes or gills.
- Handle the fish as little as possible and only with wet hands.
- Keep the fish in the water, if possible.
- Release the fish as quickly as possible.
Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River, Otsego Lake, the Menominee River and Black Lake all have lake sturgeon seasons with catch-and-release in the Detroit River, the St. Marys River and Portage-Torch Lakes and the Ontonagon River.
