Dozens of onlookers arrived at Sturgeon Park in Shawano on Tuesday to witness the marvel of the sturgeon after weeks of delay due to cold temperatures.
“We weren’t quite sure when they would show up. We came a couple of weeks ago—they weren’t here yet, so we came today,” said Elizabeth Sanders, a first-grade teacher at Sacred Heart Catholic School.
Lifelong Shawano resident Timothy Martens, 22, made his annual pilgrimage — like the prehistoric fish — to the Shawano dam to observe the sturgeon.
“I like to come because I enjoy the outdoors and I enjoy seeing the fish come up here on the dam,” Martens said. “It is a part of God’s creation, and these fish have been around for so long.
“I have been coming here ever since I was a little kid. I grew up in Shawano and have been coming here since I was 5 years old or probably in grade school.”
Ryan Koenigs, chief sturgeon biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, reported earlier this week that the fish were arriving in Shawano but spawning activity would peak when the water temperature rose above 50 degrees. Temperatures along the Shawano dam registered as high as 51 degrees Tuesday.
According to the DNR, sturgeon typically exhibit some pre-spawn behaviors. The first is porpoising—rising up above or jumping out of the water, which begins a few days before spawning begins and increases in intensity as spawning activity gets closer. The second behavior is known as “cruising” and involves sturgeon, usually males, moving up and down the shoreline, usually one to two days before spawning gets under way.
Both pre-spawn behaviors were evident Tuesday.
Sturgeon were seen jumping out of the Wolf River by Tuesday afternoon and activity intensified as the day progressed.
Gillett resident Leonard Schroeder decided to make his first visit to the Shawano dam after 75 years and enjoyed his initial stay.
“This is the first time I have ever been down here. It is interesting they come right up shore here and see their fins,” Schroeder said.
“I am amazed that they keep coming back here every year to continue this life cycle,” Martens said. “These fish are so old, they are ancient and prehistoric. It is just beautiful to me.”
Schroeder said he will make an effort to return in 2015 to again witness the sturgeon run.
“I never have gotten this close to a sturgeon before,” Schroeder said. “Never been here before, so maybe I will come down here more often.”
The prehistoric fish have been in the ecosystem for thousands of years and can weigh up to 200 pounds and more than 6 feet long.
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