The Michigan Department of Natural Resources annual lake sturgeon survey in the North Channel of the St. Clair River near Algonac will begin Thursday.
Fish will be captured, tagged and released Monday through Thursday nights through June 22. Survey gear will not be out from Friday afternoons around 3:30 p.m. through Monday mornings around 9 a.m.
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The lines are fished at various locations between Deckers Landing and downtown Algonac. A map of the survey area is below.
“The St. Clair River’s lake sturgeon population is one of the largest and healthiest in the entire Great Lakes Region,” said Todd Wills, the DNR's Lake Huron-Lake Erie Area fisheries research manager. “This survey is an essential part of the DNR’s efforts to assess the status and trends in this unique resource.”
Anglers are asked to report tagged fish they catch here.
The lines will be marked with two orange or white floats with reflective tape and will be held in place by two large anchors.
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The floats will be about 150 yards apart. The DNR recommends that anglers don’t fish between the floats to avoid snagging hooks on the survey gear. The lines are in water that is at least 20 feet deep, so the lines should pose little threat to boats, the DNR said.
Anglers fishing in the North Channel are asked to keep an eye out for suspicious activity. In the past, there have been problems with poachers tampering with survey gear and removing lake sturgeon from the lines, the DNR said.
Suspicious activity can be reported to the Report All Poaching hotline at 800-292-7800 or the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office at 810-794-5655.
Below is a map of the survey area.
