Lake sturgeon populations have declined across much of their range in north america owing to factors that includeoverharvest, impoundment of rivers, and water pollution (harkness and dymond 1961)

This $459,320 Formula Grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service under the State Wildlife Grants (CFDA 15.634) program. The grant will fund a project to evaluate the lake sturgeon population and spawning behavior in the Big Stone Lake and upper Minnesota River basin of South Dakota. The project aims to assess the current status of the lake sturgeon population and the effectiveness of stocking and habitat restoration efforts. Key activities include monitoring fish movements, identifying important spawning areas, and evaluating potential barriers to adult fish movement. The grant was awarded to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks' Wildlife Division, which will conduct the research and conservation activities. This project supports the State Wildlife Grants program's objective of implementing strategic, proactive conservation efforts for at-risk species and their habitats before they become endangered.

Commercial fishing in the late 1800S and early 1900S depleted lake sturgeon stocks across north america (auer 2004). Moreover, the life history characteristics of the species, (e.g., late age at reproductive maturity) make lake sturgeon vulnerable to overharvest and slow to recruit to the spawning population. Conservation of lake sturgeon populations requires effective management and long-term monitoring. Thus, information about the abundance, spawning behavior (e.g., seasonal movement), and reproductive status of lake sturgeon provides useful information for species recovery. The proposed project will evaluate the lake sturgeon population within big stone lake and the upper minnesota river basin and assess fish movements in order to evaluate current population status and the effectiveness of stocking and habitat restoration efforts. By evaluating movement and reproductive condition of lake sturgeon, this study will help identify potentially important spawning areas as well as additional constraints (barriers) to adult fish movement. IT can also reveal when stocking efforts could potentially cease depending on abundance and reproductive structure of the population.