This year’s sturgeon season lasted just 17 minutes after anglers took to the ice on Black Lake.
The season opened at 8 a.m. on Saturday and was declared closed at 8:17 a.m. by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The DNR keeps a close eye on the harvest because the lake sturgeon population across the state is considered threatened. However, the population in Cheboygan County’s Black Lake is steady enough for a tightly controlled season.
Tim Cwalinski, with the Northern Lake Huron Management Unit, explained to News 8 that the limit is set each year by state officials. This year’s harvest was set at 14. Tribal agreements state that half of the quota is set aside for the public and the other half is reserved for local tribal governments.
The public limit was listed as six when it was announced last month, but things went so fast that a seventh was taken before the season was declared closed.
(We) set our quota one fish below the allocation as a safeguard,” Cwalinski said. “We are fine getting six or seven fish.”
He also noted that the local tribes don’t always harvest their allocated fish, and instead allow them to live on to help the population grow.
Black Lake has had a tremendous amount of research and study to the sturgeon population over 25 years. The population has been building to a very steady state, but still below the goals of where we would like the adult population to be. (It) is getting closer each year through protective measures, stocking and very limited harvest,” Cwalinski told News 8.
According to Sturgeon For Tomorrow, a local nonprofit organization that runs an event for the “fishing season,” the first catch was reported by 8:03 a.m. The largest catch was measured at 64 inches and 78.3 pounds.
Anglers must follow a specific set of rules during the event. Each shanty must display a tall red flag to notify DNR officers that they are fishing for sturgeon, and the catches should be reported to DNR personnel immediately.
Each fish also must be submitted to the DNR for examination and DNA analysis before being returned to the rightful owner.
Bottom glASS wear
Does anyone have any faith at all Pissreal will stay the course or honor the ceasefire?