The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conducts annual dip net surveys at sturgeon spawning locations throughout the Lake Winnebago system

For nearly a decade, USGS researchers at the Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit (WICFRU) have partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to better understand and manage the lake sturgeon population in the Lake Winnebago System. The Winnebago system is home to one of the largest lake sturgeon populations in North America that supports an annual spearing fishery that occurs on the ice each February. This event attracts thousands of people to the area each year and is critical to local economies. 

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conducts annual dip net surveys at sturgeon spawning locations throughout the Lake Winnebago system. Fish are tagged during these surveys. Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit graduate students and staff are using tag recovery information to determine which spawning locations make the largest contributions to spearing harvest.