Wisconsin sturgeon travels record-setting distance down Mississippi River

Jim Falls, Wisconsin. – Biologists were horrified after discovering a sturgeon that traveled an astonishing 651 miles down the Mississippi River system from… wisconsin to Missouri border.

The fish’s impressive journey has now been recorded as the longest known distance traveled by a Chippewa River lake sturgeon, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The agency posted on its website: “What a trip.” Facebookalong with a photo of two Missouri Department of Fisheries biologists who were present at the fish encounter.

The sturgeon, which had a Wisconsin tag, was found at Lock 26 Dam on the Mississippi River near… Alton, illinois. According to Wisconsin biologists, a sturgeon was tagged on the nearby Chippewa River Jim Fallswisconsin.

The fish was tagged at least a decade ago, and possibly 25 years ago, based on the color of the thread mark. Wildlife Officials said.

“Aging in slow-growing fish is difficult, but our best estimate is that a 56.9-inch-long male sturgeon is likely around 30 years old,” the agency adds.

The sturgeon was able to navigate multiple obstacles on its journey, including passing over three dams on the Chippewa River and navigating through 22 locks and dams on the Mississippi River, according to Wisconsin wildlife officials.

“Given that this fish was likely too large to pass through piles of trash on the levees on the Chippewa River, it had to pass through the dam spillway gates during high water events,” the agency said. “Downstream movement across dams has been documented for various species of fish on the Chippewa River, including lake sturgeon. The locks and dams on the Mississippi River are good for fish during high water conditions, or when vessels Travel Through the locks.”

The sturgeon was later returned to the Mississippi River at the location where it was captured on an acoustic transmitter. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said it may return to the Chippewa River one day. If that happens, the agency’s audio transceivers will detect it.

Check this out: Man catches 4-foot-long prehistoric fish in Missouri instead

Lake sturgeon are not endangered

Bottom-dwelling freshwater fish, native to Wisconsin, are living fossils that first appeared about 136 million years ago when dinosaurs were still roaming the oceans. Land They have remained largely unchanged since then, like many modern fish.

In years past, anglers had mixed feelings about the fish. In the 19th century, they were viewed as a nuisance and destructive to fishing nets. As a result, they are often killed and left to rot on the beach, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

However, in the 20th century, fishermen began to value sturgeon for their meat and eggs, and harvested them in large quantities.

Aside from sturgeon, the state is also home to shovelfish sturgeon, both of which have been greatly affected by overharvesting, river fragmentation and habitat changes, state wildlife officials said.

Tuesday, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed its review of the application To classify the lake sturgeon as an endangered species. They concluded that it does not currently meet the criteria to be considered endangered.