Lake Sturgeon

Sturgeon ~ King of Fish: Ojibwe Indian language name for sturgeon is: Namé - [pronounced "nah may" ] You need that little thing above the é and "King of Fish" translates to: Ogimaa giigonh

Sturgeon Scientific/Latin name: Acipenser fulvescens

Lake Sturgeon was once abundant in the Great Lakes and especially in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior is also known to have sturgeon. [see great lakes map] There used to be many many sturgeon in the Great Lakes and rivers where they have always lived, but now there are few of them. People have put dams on rivers changing their homes, and in some places people fished for them and killed far too many.

It is illegal to possess a Lake Sturgeon in Lake Erie, Niagara River or Lake Ontario or any tributaries. It is an endangered species.

Lake sturgeon can grow to be a very big fish. They have been known to get as big as a man, over six feet long!

Lake sturgeon are a very old fish and go back to the age of dinosaurs, so have been in our waters for millions of years!

Look at the picture. sturgeon are a different looking fish. Lake sturgeon have shark-like tails [large upper lobe] and a long, torpedo like body. They don't have scales like many fish, but are covered with thick platelets. They don't have any bones, only cartilage. They have funny looking whiskers under their long nose [visible in picture] and they are called barbels. Barbels are used to feel along the bottoms of lakes and rivers in search of food.

Sturgeon can live to 50 years and have been known to live 100 years. Now, that's a long time! [Females 100 yrs. Males 40-50 years]

Helping the Lake Sturgeon: Today, fish managers are studying the lake sturgeon so they know how many there are and where they are. They are also trying to protect the sturgeon from over harvesting. Some hatcheries help stock baby lake sturgeon back into our waters.

ANOTHER STURGEON PHOTO ON OUR FISHING PICTURES PAGE
For more sturgeon Facts go to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Fact Sheet

A Very Comprehensive Lake Sturgeon Website:

This site provides information and a network of links to lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) research conducted by a number of U.S. and Canadian agencies and universities in the Great Lakes region of North America.

Click on this logo to go to a website that will tell you
everything you want to know about Lake Sturgeon,
including a picture of a baby!
[A U.S. FWS Site]
A GREAT school project!

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/sturgeon/

Veteran Fisherman's Favorite dates
and species to fish for in
Lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario Go Here

There is a close-up photo of a Snow-whet owl on THIS PAGE. A Saw-whet owl is a very rare sighting and was photographed by Kaitlyn Gillis in the Town of Porter

Click the photos
for larger image

THE SNOW OWL
An unusual sighting in Western New York

This is a recent photo of a snow owl and the photo was sent in by John Gensler, owner of a 102 acre farm in south east Wilson NY. Gensler has spent the last four years developing a wildlife habitat on his farm and was recently presented with the Habitat Of The Year" Award from Pheasants Forever of Western New York. The Gensler farm was selected from 54 others.

He included with the photo this statement; "I am sure the kids would love to see and know a little more about the Snow Owl.. One thing they should know is that the reason the owl was pictured sitting on the ground instead of in a tree is because where he comes from, there are no trees. Most of his time is spent sitting on the highest spot he can find on the ground to watch for predators."

"One reason you see Snow Owls this far South is due to the decrease of Lemmings which is their main source of food." [A lemming is a small rodent much like a mouse or rat and grows to approximately 5 inches long including it's tail]

Respectfully,
John Gensler Camouflage Acres

The following information is from This Website:

The snow owl is one of the largest and heaviest of the North American owls. According to folklore the sighting of a snow owl in the fall means the winter will be long and cold with plenty of snow. This owl prefers open spaces, be it tundra, grasslands, or frozen expanses of water. Its normal home is the treeless tundra, but in the winter it can be found hunting in harbors, railroad yards or cities.

In the winter, this owl is a regular visitor to the Great Plains, with isolated individuals being found as far south as Indiana. There are occasional years in which large numbers of owls move south out of the tundra into the United States. This migration is caused by a combination of drops in the lemmings population and fierce weather conditions. Snow owls are regular winter visitors to Minnesota.