Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)

The primitive Lake sturgeon once populated the Detroit River in the thousands. Now, less than one percent of the original population of Lake sturgeon exists in the Great Lakes due to habitat loss, pollution, and over-harvesting.

Michigan Sea Grant has been working to educate others about the life history and unique attributes of one of the oldest fish on earth. Sea Grant coordinated the development of lifelike models of lake sturgeon that are the centerpiece of two educational exhibits highlighting the history and special characteristics of this prehistoric fish.

Exhibit Locations:

• Marshlands Museum and Nature Center, at the Lake Erie Metropark
  Phone: (734) 379-5020
• In conjunction with Mysteries of the Great Lakes, at the Detroit Science Center
  Phone: (313) 577-8400
  

Learn More:

• History and biology of Lake sturgeon
• Spawning reefs in the Detroit River
• Article  - NOAA Spotlight