Sturgeon Tagging

Lake sturgeon in Northwestern Ontario are a threatened species and as such are protected under the Endangered Species Act (for more info, see here).  Yesterday I was invited to come on a sturgeon tagging outing by a local resident who has been helping foster improved relationships between local First Nations groups and Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).  The day was a beautiful one for a boat ride, a relaxing way to start summer holidays! 

I learned a lot about sturgeon and their habitat, why they are endangered (overfishing), and what is being done to encourage their comeback (such as tagging them to follow their movement patterns, learn more about spawning habits and where sturgeon spawning grounds are to improve the grounds for better reproduction).  I was also able to capture photographs which I can use for future science lessons on ecosystems and endangered species.  The photos are from different sites, but I put them in a sequence to give an idea of what happened at each capture/release site.

Following the MNR boat...

Pulling in the nets, hopefully with a caught sturgeon...

Weighing and measuring the sturgeon...

Tagging the outside of the fish...

Tagging the inside (to track by satellite)...

Holding a sturgeon before its release...

Releasing...