Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Fisheries Research Report No.1883, 1980

The Distribution, Ecology,and Management of the Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque) in Michigan


James Philip Baker


      Abstract.-Significant populations of lake sturgeon exist in Burt, Mullett, and Black lakes, Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties; the Menominee River, Menominee County; and Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River. Remnant populations of lake sturgeon exist in all of the Great Lakes and lake sturgeon are occasionally reported in the lower reaches of most of the larger rivers draining into the Great Lakes. Landlocked remnant populations of lake sturgeon are found in Otter Lake, Houghton County; Manistique Lake, Mackinac and Luce counties; Indian Lake, Schoolcraft County; Brevoort Lake, Mackinac County; and Manacle Lake, Chippewa County.

On Black Lake estimated fishing pressure in 1975 during the winter spearing season was 2,332 shanty hours and in 1976, 3,972 hours. Estimated catch per hour was 0.0142 sturgeon in 1975 and 0.0086 in 1976. The population of lake sturgeon 48.6 inches and larger in Black Lake was estimated to be 1,599 in 1975, with 95% confidence limits of 714 to 3,998. The rate of exploitation in 1976 was estimated to be 2.1%.

The growth rates of lake sturgeon from Black and Mullett lakes and the Menominee River were very similar. The parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth equation for a combined sample of lake sturgeon from these waters were L¥ = 69.6411 inches, K = 0.0558, and x0 = -0.8815. The allometric mean length-mean weight relationship for lake sturgeon from the same localities was loge W = 8.8949 + 3. 1393 loge L.