When the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians in Manistee, MI, decided to start a lake sturgeon restoration program, they started by hiring two recently graduated fisheries research biologists to help them set it up.
“I remember getting there and realizing that the scientific knowledge that I had was only a piece,” fisheries biologist Marty Holtgren said.
Because many of the standard scientific practices of the time conflicted with the Tribe’s cultural beliefs, the Tribe challenged the restoration team to come up with alternative ways of helping the Big Manistee River Nmé (lake sturgeon.) Their inventive solution has revolutionizing how lake sturgeon are raised in the Great Lakes.
Streamside hatcheries are now the lead method for lake sturgeon restoration in the Great Lakes, with 14 facilities operating across the basin.
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
I Speak for the Fish: Sturgeon vs salmon prioritizing native Great Lakes species
Lake sturgeon added to endangered list, but things are looking up
Featured image: Sturgeon. (Photo Credit: Great Lakes Now)[php function=”remove_swift_shortcodes”]