Sturgeon return to Shawano

Visitors swarmed the shores of Sturgeon Park on April 9 to watch the annual sturgeon migration.

Due to warmer weather and increased water temperatures, the sturgeon spawned early in 2021. With temperatures as high as 80 degrees during the past week, the water became warm enough for the fish to spawn.

“Due to the water temperature, this was the earliest in the five years that I have been here that I have seen them,” said Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Conservation Warden Clark Delzer.

Spawning temperatures for sturgeon are around 52-60 degrees, according to Aaron O’Connell, a DNR sturgeon habitat biologist.

“Typically for the Winnebago system, these temperatures are met in mid- to late April,” O’Connell said. “But with the warm temperatures this spring, it occurred earlier.”

O’Connell mentioned that thousands of fish make a spawning run on the Winnebago system in any given year. On average, male sturgeon spawn every one to three years, while females spawn every three to five years.

As the weekend went on, more sturgeon filled the shores of the Wolf River at Sturgeon Park. With the growing amount of sturgeon at Sturgeon Park, more visitors followed. The sturgeon are easy to see because they swim shallow, with their mouths and fins poking out of the water on occasion. Like every year, the sturgeon are a popular site for visitors to come from all over the state to watch.

Rothschild resident Lynn Meyer was able to experience the marvelous event for the first time in her life April 9.

“My experience has been interesting,” said Meyer. “I am just amazed that there are so many fish here.”

According to Delzer, Sturgeon Park is a hot spot for the migration and spawn of sturgeon due to how rocky the area is.

“The sturgeon need rocks to spawn,” said Delzer. “The eggs affix to the rocks, and the fish develop on those rocks.”

Even Shawano residents make their way to see the sturgeon spawn run at Sturgeon Park.

“I live right in town, so I come down here annually to see the sturgeon,” said Dave Berkhahn, who has lived in Shawano for 40 years. “It is a really cool experience to see just how big the fish are.”

According to Delzer, these prehistoric fish can grow to be 200 pounds. When the sturgeon are born, they are about 1 inch long. That number jumps up to 3½ inches after about 45 days.

Shawano resident McKaslyn Szymanski makes a point to plan an annual trip with her children to see the sturgeon.

“We like to come every year and experience it,” said Szymanski. “It is very exciting for the kids to see the fish so close to the shore.”

A crew from the Wisconsin DNR was at Sturgeon Park over the weekend to tag and measure the sturgeon. The sturgeon are tagged in order to mark the new fish. They are also tagged for an easier estimate of the population of sturgeon. O’Connell said that the Wisconsin DNR has handled close to 1,200 sturgeon during this spawning run.

Having the ability to see these sturgeon make their spawning run is a unique experience for which many people around Wisconsin and further flock to Sturgeon Park.

“The Winnebago system sturgeon spawning run is unique in that this is one of the only places in the world to see the large number and large-sized fish spawning feet away,” said O’Connell. “The public areas on the Winnebago system that provide viewing of sturgeon spawning are incredibly unique and are unlike other systems.”

lreimer@newmedia-wi.com