FLOYD COUNTY, Ga. — Lake sturgeon in Georgia’s Coosa River are reproducing on their own, marking a significant milestone in a repopulation effort that began in 2002.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources initiated the reintroduction of lake sturgeon to the Coosa River by bringing eggs from Wisconsin and releasing hatched fish into the river.
A study by the University of Georgia is showing, post-reintroduction, that these fish are not only surviving but are also capable of natural reproduction.
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“Not only are these fish surviving, but we’re showing evidence that they are capable of reproducing and that the young are able to survive on their own,” Martin Hamel, lead author of the study and an associate professor in UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that the population has recovered, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
Lake sturgeon were once abundant in the Coosa River before disappearing due to pollution and overfishing.
The reintroduction project aimed to restore this ancient fish species, whose lineage dates back to the time of the dinosaurs.
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UGA researchers conducted an intensive netting study to capture and tag lake sturgeon, assessing their survival and reproduction capabilities.
The study found evidence of natural reproduction, particularly during the year 2020 when stocking was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022 and 2023, researchers sampled sections of sturgeon fins to estimate their ages, discovering that some fish hatched in 2020, a year without stocking. This unexpected outcome confirmed that the sturgeon were reproducing in the wild.
Researchers plan to continue monitoring the sturgeon recovery to ensure the population becomes self-sustaining.
The successful natural reproduction of lake sturgeon in the Coosa River is a promising step toward the recovery of this ancient species, according to the study authors.
“They’re really kind of a charismatic, unique fish, and they’ve been around for a really long time. They’re an integral part of the aquatic ecosystem,” Hamel said. “I feel privileged to be able to study them in areas where they were historically found and, for this particular project, being able to repopulate this previously lost population.”
Continued monitoring will be crucial to ensure the long-term sustainability of the population.
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