Courtesy Photo

ALPENA — Volunteers with the Black Lake chapter of the nonprofit Sturgeon for Tomorrow will on Friday start their watch to protect lake sturgeon during spawn season.

The volunteer event is a three-month-long watch period from April 20 to June 15 during which volunteers keep watch over Black Lake to deter illegal poaching or harvesting of lake sturgeon. Volunteers will work in three shifts per day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sturgeon for Tomorrow is working with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, along with various Michigan indigenous tribes, to protect the fish. Volunteers contact DNR conservation officers to report any suspicious activity in the lake and Black River.

The event typically sees between 200 to 400 volunteers every year, according to Black Lake chapter President Jay Woiderski, who estimates about 170 to 200 people have signed up this year.

“There really are no characteristics we’re looking for in volunteers,” Woiderski said. “It’s outdoor volunteer work, so I suppose the most we’re looking in someone is for them to feel comfortable being outside. Some days are warm and some are cold and rainy and you’re not sure what your day might look like.”

Volunteers will also need to keep count of the fish they see during their shift and report that count to the chapter.

Neal Godby, a DNR fisheries biologist in Gaylord, said the six-week spawning season for lake sturgeon has seen historical occurrences of people poaching and harvesting the fish because of the species’ vulnerability and visibility during the period.

“Recent awareness and actions for the species have significantly improved protection within the past decade,” Godby said. “The DNR does not have enough personnel to always be out on the lake, so this volunteer work is truly important to protect lake sturgeon during the spawning season. These fish have a lot more on their mind during this time and are more visible and vulnerable to getting caught, so we appreciate their commitment to helping out.”

Even with about 200 volunteers scheduled to keep watch, Woiderski says the chapter is still looking for more people.

He said there are still some holes in the schedule that can be filled and he said anyone interested in joining can sign up on the chapter’s website, SturgeonForTomorrow.org.

“The experience of watching researchers capture, tag, and release these amazing fish is, in itself, worth the effort of becoming involved,” Woiderski said. “We also encourage those who enjoy mountain biking, mushrooming, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, and camping in beautiful wild areas to partner with the sturgeon guarding effort.”

Brandon Schroeder, Michigan State University Alpena County Extension Sea Grant educator, said he and partners of MSU Extension created a 360-degree virtual tour that teaches more about lake sturgeon and how researchers collect data from the species in a hatchery close to Black River.

He said the tour allows people to virtually visit the hatcher station, see the different maturity stages of lake sturgeon, and see video of researchers collecting data from fish in the river.

To visit the tour, go to bit.ly/BlackRiverSturgeonTour.

Lake sturgeon have recently been a focus in state and federal politics, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife might list the fish as an endangered species.

On June 30, the department will submit a species status assessment that includes scientific research on the topic and will submit its listing determination to the Federal Register.

Even then, the decision will be open to a year-long public comment period.

In late March, U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, who represents Northeast Michigan, introduced the Michigan Sturgeon Protected and Exempt from Absurd Regulations Act, or Michigan SPEAR Act, which would prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services from listing Michigan lake sturgeon as an endangered species.

State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, applauded the congressional proposal, also denouncing any effort to list lake sturgeon as an endangered species.

According to Cavitt, the listing would prohibit anyone from harvesting a sturgeon nationwide, ending all forms of sturgeon fishing, which includes spearfishing on Black Lake.

Black Lake is one of two places in the U.S. where spearfishing lake sturgeon is allowed and is regulated by the DNR.