More than 6.3K lake sturgeon released into Mich. waters

Lansing — State officials say more than 6,300 juvenile lake sturgeon were released into Michigan waterways this summer and fall in a continuing effort to restore the ancient species.

The Department of Natural Resources teamed with Native American tribes and other partners on the projects, including Michigan State University and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The largest release was of 1,180 sturgeon to the Whitefish River in Delta County. An additional 1,067 were released to the Cedar River in Menominee County.

The young fish were collected from the wild last spring and reared in streamside facilities until they reached 7 inches or longer. They were tagged before being released into the rivers.

Sturgeon once were plentiful in the Great Lakes but their numbers plummeted because of overfishing, habitat loss and pollution.