February 17, 2006
Oldest Great Lakes Fish Swims into the New Detroit Science Center
Life-like Model of Sturgeon on Exhibit Through August
DETROIT, MI — Where can you see a six-foot Lake Sturgeon, touch its scutes and see its barbels up close? At The New Detroit Science Center, teachers, students and nature enthusiasts can view an exhibit all about these fish, which are considered living fossils.
“This fun and engaging exhibit, with the life-like sturgeon model, is designed to bring important issues about the human impact on one of the oldest fishes in the world to children and adults alike,” said Dr. Jennifer Read, project director, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment and assistant director for Michigan Sea Grant.
Michigan Sea Grant teamed up with a scientific illustrator and modeler Brian Cressman and a fisheries expert from the U.S. Geological Society Great Lakes Science Laboratory, Dr. Bruce Manny, to produce the exhibit. Known as Acipenser fulvescens to scientists, Lake Sturgeon were once abundant in the Detroit River and throughout the waters of the Great Lakes.
Historically, Lake Sturgeon were regarded a nuisance and later considered very valuable to the commercial fishing industry. Today, The American Fisheries Society considers the Lake Sturgeon a threatened North American species. Researchers hope that with the help of artificial spawning reefs constructed near Belle Isle in 2005 — featured in the DVD at the exhibit — that Lake Sturgeon will eventually consider the Detroit River home again.
The Lake Sturgeon exhibit will be at The New Detroit Science Center through August. Visitors can test their Sturgeon knowledge by taking the Sturgeon Quiz either at the Science Center or online.
Michigan Sea Grant, a cooperative program of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, is dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of Great Lakes and coastal resources. The Sturgeon project is supported through a Great Lakes Coastal Restoration Grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and a matching grant from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust. Additional support is provided by DTE Energy.
The New Detroit Science Center features 110,000 square feet of scientific exploration, including Michigan’s only IMAX® Dome Theatre; the Dassault Systèmes Planetarium; the Ford Learning Resource Center; the DTE Energy Sparks Theater; the DaimlerChrysler Science Stage; an 8,700 square-foot Science Hall for traveling exhibits; five exhibit laboratories – General Motors Motion Laboratory, Dow Foundation Life Sciences Laboratory, Waves & Vibrations Laboratory, Matter & Energy Laboratory and SBC Children’s Gallery; and a Special Events Lobby. It has served more than one million visitors in its first 30 months. For more information on The New Detroit Science Center please call 313-577-8400 or visit the website.
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Elizabeth LaPorte