Science on Tap: Lake Superior Sturgeon

Henry Quinlan, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Lake sturgeon are the largest fish in the Great Lakes. They are slow growing and live considerably longer than we do – estimated up to 150 years old. The Native Americans living on the southern shores of Lake Superior taught us that there were 4 rivers in the area where lake sturgeon once spawned and thrived. Unfortunately, human influences such as over-harvest, dam construction and operation, and degraded water quality severely impacted these populations to the point where lake sturgeon were no longer present in two rivers and their numbers were much reduced in the other two rivers. Fortunately, through cooperation and collaboration among many agencies, institutions, and organizations lake sturgeon populations are once again thriving in two rivers and significant advances in population recovery is being made in the other two locations. Henry will talk about key projects such as habitat restoration, genetically based stocking, and regulatory changes that have contributed to rehabilitation of lake sturgeon in Lake Superior.

Henry Quinlan is a supervisory fish biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ashland Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office. He and his family moved to Ashland in 1996. Prior to coming to Ashland, he worked on sea lamprey control in Marquette, Michigan, in wetland delineation and regulatory review with the Army Corps of Engineers in Waukesha, WI, as a Peace Corps volunteer conducting environmental education in Guatemala, and with the Wisconsin DNR Green Bay office. He earned his master’s degree from UW-Green Bay and his bachelor’s degree at St. Norbert College.

The Fish and Wildlife Service’s Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program has Conservation Offices working on each of the Great Lakes. The Ashland office geographic area of responsibility is the Lake Superior basin. The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

As federal employees Henry and his colleagues work to conserve native Interjurisdictional Fish species, fulfill Tribal Trust Responsibilities, control and detect aquatic invasive species, and conserve, restore and enhance aquatic habitats. At the Ashland office, Henry has worked with Tribal, State, federal, academic, and non-governmental partners to conserve and rehabilitate depleted lake sturgeon and brook trout populations throughout Lake Superior. Today, he will share recent successes being made for lake sturgeon populations in Lake Superior.