North Central Division Project Spotlight: Red River of the North Sturgeon Restoration

Introduction by Ben Wallace, Iowa DNR and FMS North Central Division Representative

As fisheries managers we often spend much of our career trying to improve habitat and fix large scale issues that have impacted aquatic resources over the course of decades, sometimes more than century.  These efforts take time and the benefits oftentimes cannot be realized in single person’s career.  Additionally, many of these issues are multi-faceted and require partnerships across different disciplines and jurisdictions to address.  The work that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, along with their partners, have done to restore Lake Sturgeon in the Red River Basin is a shining example of how important research, hard work, and careful planning over 40 years can have lasting and positive impacts on a once imperiled species.  Read the article below, written by Nick Kludt and Kristi Coughlin of the Minnesota DNR, to learn more about their Lake Sturgeon restoration project.  Don’t forget to follow the link to watch an excellent video documenting the project from the start to present day!

Red River of the North Sturgeon Restoration
Nick Kludt and Kristi Coughlin, Minnesota DNR

A living dinosaur of the fish world once in peril

Lake Sturgeon, one of the oldest species of fish in existence, are making a comeback in Minnesota thanks to collaborative recovery efforts by the Minnesota DNR and its partners.

Lake Sturgeon grow larger and live longer than any other North American freshwater fish. With few natural predators besides humans, these prehistoric fish can live 150 years and reach 400 pounds. They spend their lives at the bottom of lakes and rivers, stirring sediment with their long, rubbery snouts and taking in crayfish, nymphs and other small aquatic animals with their sucker-like mouths. Like most long-lived species, sturgeon mature slowly and reproduce infrequently.

Historical accounts suggest that Lake Sturgeon were abundant in Minnesota until the late 1800s. After that, over exploitation, dam construction and water quality declines decimated the state’s Lake Sturgeon populations. They were extirpated from the Red River Basin by the mid-1900s and there was little chance that the population could recover on its own.

Lake Sturgeon restoration plan efforts lead to success

The comeback started in the 1980s with discussions to restore Lake Sturgeon populations in the Red River of the North and its basin, leading to a collaborative recovery effort between the Minnesota DNR, North Dakota Game and Fish, South Dakota Game Fish and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Rainy River First Nations, Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians and White Earth Band.

Lake Sturgeon stocking began in 1997, when the DNR relocated sturgeon from the Rainy River to Detroit Lake and Otter Tail River. The 2002 Red River Basin Lake Sturgeon Restoration Plan (2002-2022) proposed a 20-year program that relied on stocking fry and fingerlings originating from Rainy River stock. DNR worked with Rainy River First Nations, who provided the eggs, and the USFWS to produce 6- to 8-inch fingerlings and fry for stocking in various Red River locations. The White Earth Band began stocking in 2001. In 2002, the Minnesota DNR initiated stocking. The Red Lake Band began stocking fingerlings in the Red Lakes in 2009.

From 2003 to the present, fingerlings and fry were produced annually by the USFWS National Fish Hatchery in Genoa, Wis., and Valley City National Fish Hatchery in North Dakota for reintroduction stockings. Minnesota DNR hatcheries at several area offices also have raised sturgeon to support stocking efforts. The DNR, along with its partners, have stocked more than 580,000 Lake Sturgeon fingerlings in the Red River Basin.

The DNR discovered the first mature female sturgeon in the Red River Basin in 2019. Initial survey results and angler reports suggested survival and growth were occurring as expected, with reintroduced Lake Sturgeon re-occupying historical extents of their range.

Three years later, biologists documented the first natural spawning event in over 100 years on the Otter Tail River. Subsequent year spawning events have also been documented.

In 2023, the DNR and USFWS took over the egg take operations from Rainy River First Nations. For the next 8-10 years, Lake Sturgeon egg take along the Rainy River will continue to complete the reintroduction efforts in the Red River Basin.

Phase Two of the restoration plan (2019 through 2029) is underway. Priorities include targeted stocking on rivers within the basin, monitoring populations, identifying spawning locations, evaluating the ability of populations to self-sustain and continuing efforts to remove fish passage barriers, which are significant obstacles to Lake Sturgeon population restoration.

Removing fish barriers and reconnecting river habitat

Within the basin, 48 of 72 major fish barriers have been modified since 2002, including four lake outlet dams on the upper Otter Tail River that allow Lake Sturgeon and other fish to move freely through four lakes.

The Drayton Dam, which was the last and largest remaining barrier to fish passage on the United States reaches of the Red River, was modified in 2023 into a rock rapids fish passage structure. Now, fish can pass along the entire Red River, allowing the maturing sturgeon population to access historic spawning areas. Important work to create passages continues in the Red’s tributaries.

Future fish passage restoration projects, along with targeted stocking and population monitoring, will further promote the success of Lake Sturgeon recovery efforts. An additional seven projects are in various phases of planning and construction. These modifications will restore migration pathways for over 70 fish species and other aquatic species, like mussels and nongame fish.

Link to Red River Sturgeon Recovery Video: Kings in the North: Lake Sturgeon Recovery in the Red River