Sturgeon spawning hits Shawano Dam

Even though it came a bit later this year, many visitors found themselves at Sturgeon Park, 801 S. Water St., over the weekend to watch the 2023 sturgeon spawning run.

Due to low temperatures and chilly water, the spawning run occurred a few days behind past years, with 2022’s run happening in late April.

“As many people know, it has been a really weird spring,” said Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources sturgeon biologist Margaret Stadig. “We have had some really warm summer days earlier in the spring time, but it warmed up so quickly, that even though the temperatures warmed up, the sturgeon weren’t just quite ready.”

Even with the cold temperature recently, Stadig said that the spawning run in general was not greatly affected.

“There was a first run, kind of in the middle of April and it was kind of hard to see the sturgeon, because the water levels were so high,” said Stadig. “This past weekend at Shawano, we probably saw a similar number of sturgeon that we usually see when the big spawn happens. While it is kind of bizarre with these two runs, I am going to guess that this spawning season, the same number of sturgeon came up and was still probably really successful.”

Stadig was a part of one group of DNR agents who work to tag and monitor the population of the fish, by netting the animals, measuring them and overall monitoring the size of the population. This year she said that the DNR handled about 250 sturgeon.

“We want to see how big they are and that kind of gives us an idea of what size classes are out here — we want to see the big females, but we also want to see new little guys, because that means that there is recruitment,” said Stadig. “We also check them for sex and the last thing that we do is check them for tags. The tags are internal and they have their own unique 15-digit number. This is how we understand how big the population is.”

While Stadig was out to work with the fish, many visitors come to Sturgeon Park to witness the spawning run as it is happening. Gresham residents Mary and Tom Madsen often make the trip to Shawano and are still in awe each time they come.

“These are prehistoric fish and they have been doing this for thousands of years and it is just so neat to watch them,” said Tom Madsen. “It still amazes me that these fish are still here and still do what they have been doing for all of these years.”

“We used to bring our boys here when they were younger and it was fun,” added Mary Madsen. “You can go up on the bridge and see them up there, or come down here and see them.”

One couple, who was in Shawano for the weekend to spend sometime with their grandchildren, took a trip down to Sturgeon Park to see the fish spawn for the first time.

“Our daughter said that the sturgeon are here and we have never seen it before, so we wanted to come down and see them,” said Osseo resident Sally Pettis. “It is cool to see how big and how many of them that there are. We would definitely recommend people to come see this if they are in the area.”

More than just the tourism aspect of the event, the sturgeon spawning run creates an emotional connection with some, including Appleton resident Julie Maltbey, who grew up in Shawano.

“When we were kids, we used to come down here with my dad, who passed away when I was 13, so for me this is to kind of relive some of those memories,” said Maltbey. “He used to bring us down here as little kids and I remember one time, he put his hands in the water, took a fish and rubbed its belly a little bit. We were little and to us these fish were like great white sharks, but they were gentle giants. So, I try to come down here and remember and reflect on sitting with my dad to watch the sturgeon. I just connect with that past — it is more of an emotional thing for me.”

In regards to why the sturgeon swim up to the Shawano Dam, Stadig said that the Wolf River is a perfect habitat for the fish.

“Part of their biology is to make this very long spawning run — they need the hundreds of miles to go up river to spawn,” said Stadig. “Historically, we think that their original spawning site used to be Keshena Falls. What they are looking for is fast-flowing water on a river system with rocks to spawn. That fits the Shawano Dam perfectly.”

Going back to the two separate spawns, Stadig called it pretty uncommon to see two big spawns far a part in regards to timing.

“The first spawn — it was a pretty big spawn and the second spawn was just as big, so that is kind of the weird thing that happened,” said Stadig.

Working with the DNR to monitor and tag the sturgeon, Stadig said that to see the amount of people that the fish brings out is something that she really enjoys.

“I love seeing everyone come out to see this,” said Stadig. “Fish are kind of bizarre. They aren’t like deer or birds. Fish are different, we can’t see where they live. You don’t see big crowds of people that get excited to go see bass spawn, so the fact that these fish come to the surface and you can see them and be a part of it is unlike anything else.”

lreimer@newmedia-wi.com