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Briank
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After digging for info...and I will say this up front, I haven't talked with the WI DNR...yet...they are having trouble in the inland waters with their Lake Sturgeon herd.
So they blanket the state with the new rules. Shortening the season and raising the minimum length. On the St Croix the only great fishery south of LOTW's this translates to a two week shorter season and raising the length from 50 to 60 inches.
My understanding is that the WI DNR expects WI folks to travel to the St Croix to take advantage off the 6 week season we have now...hence the change.
The MN DNR will be following suit just because they want to be constant (now there is the biggest laugh I've had in a number of years!  ).
I both DNR's were concerned as they say they are, they should EXTEND the season by two weeks and make it catch and release only on the Croix. I speak only of the Croix because I don't know the conditions of the in land sturgeon.
Going to the MN DNR meeting is a waste of time. They will follow the WI proposal no matter what is said. Instead, I suggest phone calls and/or emails to the WI DNR stating your displeasure of the new rules.
Keep these facts in mind:
The DNR reports that 95% of all LS over 50 inches are females.
A female will take over 20 years to have it first successful spawn. Then spawn ever two or three years.
Neither DNR's have a handle on the numbers of LS in the Croix. Last estimate that I saw from the MN DNR was less than 4000 fish in the lower St Croix.
According to the Baudette DNR, hooking mortality is very low if non existent on release LS.
There are two sides to every story. I'll post the WI version here once I contact them.
In my arm chair opinion we should be enjoying a two month long catch and release season on the St Croix...at a minimum.
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Briank
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Here's the MN contact info.
Comments also may be submitted via e-mail until Monday, Oct. 6, to al.stevens@dnr.state.mn.us or by calling (651) 259-5239.
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life1978
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 e-mail sent
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"We are not put on this earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you are always there for others, then in time of need, someone will be there for you." -Jeff Warner
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Briank
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First report from a member of the Public WI DNR Advisory Committee member.
It appears that the Shovelnose Sturgeon have all but disappeared on the Chippewa River below the first dam. They don't know what happened to them....
I'm speculating, but this maybe why the MN and WI DNR are tagging (mostly) Shovelnose at Lock and Dam 2 & 3 to see if they migrate to the Chip. Again, only a guess on my part.
Apparently the roe is being sold for a good price.
More to come from more official WI DNR representatives.
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Stuart
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Quote:
Apparently the roe is being sold for a good price.
Who buys the roe around here?Dont know if you've ever tried caviar,it sure is'nt worth killing for.I would rather eat a spoon of sonny's than ever let that stuff past my lips.Keep us upto date.
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Briank
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The official WI DNR post from 2007. 
Quote: Sturgeon hook and line season to open Sept. 1 with new regulations
Weekly News Article Published: August 7, 2007 by the Central Office
MADISON – The lake sturgeon hook and line season opens on Sept. 1, and anglers should note some updates to the rules.
An emergency rule aimed at assuring the long-term health of Wisconsin’s unique lake sturgeon population approved by the state Natural Resources Board took effect July 23. The rule increases the minimum length limit for lake sturgeon harvest in inland waters from 50 inches to 60 inches and reduces the season length for harvest and for catch and release fishing from six to four weeks. All of Wisconsin’s open waters will be covered by the emergency rule. The sturgeon hook and line season runs Sept. 1 - 30 and there is a one-per-season bag.
“The main concern is the increasing pressure on the lake sturgeon fisheries,” says Karl Scheidegger, chairman of the Sturgeon Management Team. “More people are participating in the sport, which is good, but because of that, there’s an increasing number of fish being harvested, to the point that in some areas lake sturgeon were being over harvested.”
A public hearing will be held on August 13 to give the public the opportunity to review and comment on the emergency rule.
The new minimum length limit will dramatically reduce the harvest on females, allowing them to reproduce more than once before reaching harvestable size.
“Female sturgeon usually first spawn once they reach around 55 inches, and then they only spawn once every 4 to 5 years,” says Scheidegger. “If we allow them to grow to 60 inches, we’re increasing their reproduction by giving them the chance to spawn at least twice before they’re harvested.”
The Menominee River, a boundary water co-managed between Michigan and Wisconsin, had the same regulations implemented for the 2006 season. A lake sturgeon harvest assessment in 2005 showed that more than 25 percent of adult sturgeon were being harvested, far above the fisheries management goal of a 5 percent exploitation rate. This resulted in a length limit increase to 60 inches and a reduction in season length to four weeks. More than 100 lake sturgeon were harvested in 2005, and only one was harvested after the regulation change in 2006 on the Menominee River, according to Scheidegger.
The lower Wisconsin River below the Wisconsin Dells Dam is showing similar high exploitation rates at about 36 percent, due to increasing angler pressure. In previous years, there was a minimum size limit that alternated between 50 and 70 inches in alternating years. This season would have been a 50-inch length limit, but the emergency rule amends this to a 60-inch season.
Currently, the lake sturgeon, which is Wisconsin’s largest and longest lived fish, is considered to be a species of special concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, Wisconsin still has one of the largest self-sustaining populations of lake sturgeon in the world, but because of its slow growing, late-to-mature nature and angler pressure trends, DNR fisheries staff are trying to closely monitor and manage the sturgeon population responsibly.
“We’re still providing an angling opportunity, though there will be fewer fish harvested,” says Scheidegger. “Some anglers might be disappointed, but the more people you have fishing, the more pressure on the fisheries. Regulations sometimes have to be more restrictive. They may be a bit harder to swallow, but ultimately, those rules protect the populations needing to be protected.”
The 60-inch minimum length limit could reduce the number of lake sturgeon harvested this season by nearly 80 percent, according to Scheidegger. The reduced season length will eliminate any late-season (October) harvest and will also allow law enforcement to concentrate more effectively on sturgeon enforcement.
The emergency rule will pertain to all of Wisconsin’s inland waters open for sturgeon fishing, even though some of those aren’t experiencing high exploitation rates. Fisheries managers were concerned that otherwise anglers would just move to waters with more liberal rules. Waters open to hook-and-line sturgeon fishing can be found in the 2007 Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations.
“If we changed the rules here and not there, anglers would leave the waters affected by the changes, and head out to waters with lower length limits and a longer season,” says Scheidegger.
The St. Croix River below St. Croix Falls, which borders Wisconsin and Minnesota, will not be affected by the emergency rule this season. Opening day is Sept. 1 and the season will close Oct. 15. There is a 50-inch minimum length harvest limit and a one-per-season bag.
The Menominee River has the same regulations per last years change, with an open season from Sept. 1 to 30. Upstream from the Hattie Street dam, sturgeon harvest is allowed with a 60-inch minimum length harvest limit and a one-per-season bag. Downstream from the Hattie Street dam to Green Bay is catch and release only.
If anglers do plan to harvest a sturgeon this season, they must purchase a harvest tag before they fish. The sturgeon harvest tag was implemented for the first time in the 2006 hook and line season. All revenues from the harvest tag sales go directly to projects dedicated to the improvement of sturgeon populations and habitats and therefore, better fishing opportunities.
The harvest tag is available throughout the season and costs $20 for residents and $50 for nonresidents. It can be purchased can be purchased at any DNR Service Center or license sales location, by calling toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4236), or over the Internet through the DNR Web site. Anglers who harvest a legal size fish must immediately attach the harvest tag to the fish and take it to a registration station by 6 p.m. the next day for registration.
All anglers must have a Wisconsin general inland fishing license unless they are under 16 years old, or were born before Jan. 1, 1927. Active military personnel who are Wisconsin residents and in active service but on furlough or leave are eligible to received a free annual fishing license. They still need to purchase the $20 Lake Sturgeon Carcass tag if they plan to keep a lake sturgeon.
For more information, visit the Lake Sturgeon page of the DNR Web site where you can find details about current regulations, restoration efforts, sturgeon distribution and much more.
Public Hearing
The proposed rule and fiscal estimate may be reviewed and comments electronically submitted through the Wisconsin Administrative Rules Web site.
Written comments on the proposed rule may be submitted until Aug. 17, 2007, via U.S. mail to Karl Scheidegger, Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707 or by email to karl.scheideggar@wisconsin.gov.
Written comments, whether submitted electronically or by U.S. mail, will have the same weight and effect as oral statements presented at the public hearings. For information call Karl Scheidegger at (608) 267-9426.
The hearing will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, August 13, 2007 at in the State of Natural Resources Building, (GEF 2), 101 South Webster St., Madison.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Karl Scheidegger – (608) 267-9426 End quote
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Edited by Briank (08/31/08 10:58 AM)
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Briank
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FYI the MN Sturgeon opener on the Croix is Sept 6th.
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Briank
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The 2008 reminder:
Quote: Sturgeon hook and line season to open Sept. 6 with new regulations
Weekly News Article Published: August 5, 2008 by the Central Office
MADISON – The 2008 hook and line season for lake sturgeon opens Sept. 6 on major river systems statewide, with rule changes aimed at assuring the future of the state’s sturgeon fisheries.
The hook and line season for lake sturgeon, Wisconsin's oldest and largest fish, opens Sept. 6 on major Wisconsin rivers.
The hook and line season for lake sturgeon, Wisconsin's oldest and largest fish, opens Sept. 6 on major Wisconsin rivers.
WDNR Photo
The season has been shortened and ends Sept. 30, and the minimum length for harvesting sturgeon has been increased to 60 inches. There is a one-fish limit per season on those waters where there is an open season. There is catch and release only fishing on a stretch of the Menominee River downstream from the Hattie Street dam to Green Bay.
The St. Croix River below St. Croix Falls, which borders Wisconsin and Minnesota, will not be affected by the permanent rule this season. Opening day there is also Sept. 6 and the season will close Oct. 15. There is a 50-inch minimum length harvest limit and a one-per-season bag.
The state Natural Resources Board adopted the changes earlier this year to reduce the sturgeon harvest on several popular fisheries and provide additional protection to spawning females, according to Karl Scheidegger, who leads the Department of Natural Resources sturgeon management team.
“Increasing angler pressure and harvest trends prompted the rule change to protect the fisheries,” Scheidegger says. “We had the same season structure and harvest rules in place in 2007 under emergency rules, and they worked well. They allowed all interested anglers to participate in the season while protecting the reproductive females.”
Lake sturgeon are slow-growing, late maturing fish, with females spawning for the first time when they are 20 to 25 years old and then only every three to five years thereafter. Because females are larger than males, they are often targeted by anglers, and their overharvest can cause population declines that may take years to recover.
“These changes will allow Wisconsin to continue to offer a unique angling season into the future. We hope anglers will continue to participate and continue to support our sturgeon management efforts,” Scheidegger says.
Remember to buy a harvest tag
If anglers do plan to harvest a sturgeon this season, they must purchase a harvest tag before they fish. The sturgeon harvest tag was implemented for the first time in the 2006 hook and line season. All revenues from the harvest tag sales go directly to projects dedicated to the improvement of sturgeon populations and habitats and therefore, better fishing opportunities. No tag is needed if anglers are catch and release fishing only.
The harvest tag is available throughout the season and costs $20 for residents and $50 for nonresidents. It can be can be purchased: over the Internet through the Online Licensing Center; by calling toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4236); at license sales locations; or DNR service centers during their regular business hours (check service center link for hours of operation, which vary by service center; service centers are closed Saturdays).
Anglers who harvest a legal-size fish must immediately attach the harvest tag to the fish and take it to a registration station by 6 p.m. the next day for registration.
All anglers must have a Wisconsin general inland fishing license unless they are under 16 years old, or were born before Jan. 1, 1927. Military personnel who are Wisconsin residents and in active service but on furlough or leave are eligible to received a free annual fishing license. They still need to purchase the $20 lake sturgeon harvest tag if they plan to keep a lake sturgeon.
Waters open to hook-and-line sturgeon fishing can be found in the 2008 Guide to Wisconsin Hook and Line Fishing Regulations.
For more information, visit the lake sturgeon page of the DNR Web site where you can find details about current regulations, restoration efforts, sturgeon distribution and much more.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Karl Scheidegger – (608) 267-9426 End quote
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Edited by Briank (08/31/08 11:00 AM)
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Briank
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More statistics from the WI DNR.
Quote: Wisconsin River Sturgeon To Be Tracked, Studied
May 8, 2008
Release from: Associated Press
For decades, anglers have fished waters below the Wisconsin Dells Dam and in downstream Lake Wisconsin during a special autumn season for Wisconsin River sturgeon.
What if those sturgeon are not year-round residents of the Lake Wisconsin area after all?
Just where do they come from? Where do they spend the seasons? The in-between years? Where do they spawn? Why?
Might a multiple-residency status affect future fishing regulations?
These questions may be answered by a new study undertaken by the Department of Natural Resources.
"Little is known about the sturgeon population in the Lower Wisconsin River," explained Michael Rennicke, a DNR fisheries technician at Poynette.
"We surgically implanted radio-transmitters in 16 adult sturgeon last fall, hoping to follow those fish for six years if funding allows. We need to know more about them because sturgeon are a species of concern and it's very easy to over-exploit them."
Rennicke is involved in a lake sturgeon management project on the lower river under the direction of Tim Larson, DNR fisheries biologist.
Sturgeon are a slow-growing, long-lived species. Females begin spawning about the time they reach 50 inches and 24-26 years of age, after which they spawn every four-six years. Males mature around 20 years of age and while some spawn every year, most spawn every other year, Rennicke said.
Angler-caught sturgeon typically weigh 30-70 pounds but can reach weights exceeding 100 pounds.
Wisconsin has the largest inland sturgeon population in the nation. The best-known segment resides in the Lake Winnebago system, where a unique and highly regulated winter spear fishing harvest of sturgeon is allowed.
A restricted fall fishing season for sturgeon is permitted on several designated waters within the state, with the Lower Wisconsin River below the Wisconsin Dells Dam (including Lake Wisconsin) drawing some of the heaviest angling pressure.
Regulations governing sturgeon harvest are based on a minimum length limit designed to allow females to spawn at least once and to hold the angler catch to below five percent of the adult population, Rennicke explained.
The rules have been juggled — particularly in recent years — as biologists attempt to reach a balance point where the fishery is protected and anglers are still allowed a limited harvest.
The sturgeon season bag limit on 93 miles of the Lower Wisconsin River from its confluence with the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien upstream to the Dells Dam was five per person until 1951 when it was reduced to 1.
From 1974-1990, the minimum size of a sturgeon eligible to be kept by an angler was 45 inches. That was raised to 50 inches from 1991-1999 and replaced by a 70-inch and 50-inch minimum on an alternate year basis from 2000-2006.
A review of the sturgeon harvest after the 2005 season led to the implementation of an emergency 60-inch minimum for the 2007 season.
The estimated sturgeon population larger than 50 inches dropped from 287 in 2005 to 171 in 2007.
During that time, a 50-inch minimum in 2005 resulted in an angler exploitation rate of 26 percent, a 70-inch minimum in 2006 produced a 1 percent exploitation rate and the 60-inch minimum in 2007 found the desired 5 percent rate.
However, even at the 5 percent rate, Rennicke fears female sturgeon could be over-harvested. Females typically live longer than males and therefore reach the 60-inch mark more frequently, thus putting them in anglers' bags more often.
There is evidence at least some sturgeon spend time in the Mississippi River and make the journey up the Wisconsin River to the Lake Wisconsin and Dells Dam area in late summer to spend the winter in deep holes.
Some may make the journey in anticipation of spring spawning, others are winter migrants and a few could be year-round residents of the Wisconsin River.
"We tagged 142 sturgeon in 2005," Rennicke said. "Of those, we saw 29 in 2006 and 22 in 2007. Four of those sturgeon were seen all three years.
"If females are coming up to spawn every four years, why are we seeing some of these fish year after year?"
The Wisconsin River is believed to have contained sturgeon as far north as Wausau during the early 20th century. Those fish disappeared as dams were constructed and sturgeon populations became isolated. Did dams prevent sturgeon from migrating to previous spawning and wintering areas, thus slowly eradicating their numbers?
The Dells Dam is the first dam upstream from the Mississippi River. Can sturgeon introduced into waters above the Dells establish new spawning and survival patterns that don't require a lengthy migration?
Questions keep coming. Not all the answers will be forthcoming, but insights are expected as data from the radio-tagged sturgeon are accumulated and reviewed.
"The findings should be interesting," Larson said. END quote
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Edited by Briank (08/31/08 11:01 AM)
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King185
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I've had too many beers (GO LEINIE'S!!!) to read all that mumbo jumbo... so what's up for those of us that want to CPR a dinosaur or two on the St. Croix this fall???
G
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Ingy
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same here (but Summits)-Does the season start Sept 1st or Sept 6th????
Ingy
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Briank
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08 season starts Sept 6th on the Croix. Nothing has changed this year.
Next year the season will be 4 weeks instead of 6....and a 60 minimum instead of 50....if you want to keep one.
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Briank
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In reading through the above...the St Croix rule change has nothing to do with Shovlenose...besides they haven't touched the 10 fish limit with a season that doesn't close on the 'sipp.
Quote:
The new minimum length limit will dramatically reduce the harvest on females, allowing them to reproduce more than once before reaching harvestable size.
“Female sturgeon usually first spawn once they reach around 55 inches, and then they only spawn once every 4 to 5 years,” says Scheidegger. “If we allow them to grow to 60 inches, we’re increasing their reproduction by giving them the chance to spawn at least twice before they’re harvested.”
I have a suggestion! Make it a 8 week catch and release season only....and let them spawn as much as they can.
This will give both DNR's time to figure out what the actual population is on the Croix and guarantees people from "other" areas won't take advantage of the more liberal limits.
This would also give both DNR's time to work out less "conflicting" laws on the border waters...line 2 lines vs 3. Using a castnet to harvest shad in the fall. I think that would be enough to keep them busy until all the data is in on the Lake Sturgeon population of the St Croix River. 
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Cougareye
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The WI state fish is the muskie, MN the walleye. Why should the states spend money on sturgeon when we have professional sports teams/stadiums to fund????
ET
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mplspug
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Quote:
I have a suggestion! Make it a 8 week catch and release season only....and let them spawn as much as they can.
That'd be nice, but then they have to deal with fishermen who harvest instead of us.
Do non-commercial fishermen sell the roe and meat? They'd need a extra permit to do that I am guessing? If that is the case, then they should close it down to cpr only. That is if the DNR are really concerned about the long term success and normal population.
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Some people like fishing, I prefer catching.
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Briank
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Quote:
The WI state fish is the muskie, MN the walleye. Why should the states spend money on sturgeon when we have professional sports teams/stadiums to fund????
I deserved that...but that doesn't mean you're not going to get a  .
Good point Pug. So many questions...I hope they have extra staff on in Madison tomorrow.
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hanson
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Got a big headache just thinking about this now. 
Imagine that winter spearing season WI has is starting to cause a few problems for them as well, eh?
Border waters... yuck!
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Got Clicker?
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Briank
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Quote:
That'd be nice, but then they have to deal with fishermen who harvest instead of us.
In 2006 there were 4-6 (don't recall the exact number) of Lake Sturgeon tags returned to the MN DNR for ALL of MN...this includes LOTW's.
In 2007, there were less than 20. 16 is the number that sticks in my mind. Again this includes LOTWs.
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Briank
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FYI~
Karl must have left the WI DNR. The emails sent to
karl.scheideggar@wisconsin.gov
are returned undeliverable.
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Tyler Holm
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I sent an email to Al Stevens and here is his reply.
" Thank you for your comments Tyler. I'm forwarding your message to Jerry Johnson, area fisheries supervisor for metro east, for inclusion with comments received for the lake sturgeon proposal. Al Stevens "
I'd send the emails to both Al and Jerry:
Al.Stevens@dnr.state.mn.us, Gerald.Johnson@dnr.state.mn.us
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Tyler Holm
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MossBoss
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Are sturgeon actually good to eat?
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Blue Fleck
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Quote:
Are sturgeon actually good to eat?
Yes. They are great when cooked in a smoker.
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Timmy
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Is there any talk of messing with the Lake Winnebago spearing season? I hope not, as we are looking forward to that this year.
Tim
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I'd rather be in the boat with a drink on the rocks, than in the drink with a boat on the rocks.
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Briank
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I haven't seen anything in my on line searching Tim.
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What is the WI DNR thinking?!
