Fond du Lac Co, WI – We have tracked Sturgeon 21147 for six years. This male was captured, tagged and released in the spring of 2016 on the Fox River in Princeton. Measuring just under four and a half feet long, he was probably close to 25 years old when he was tagged.
Soon after tagging, in May 2016, he left Princeton and entered Lake Butte des Morts where he stayed for nearly two years. By March 2018, he left Lake Butte des Morts heading back up the Fox River. Males typically spawn every two to three years, so it’s likely that he made his spawning run in 2018.
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During this time, he spent three weeks in Eureka before returning to Princeton in late April 2018. It is also not uncommon for sturgeon to spawn at multiple locations. This means he might have spawned at both Eureka and possibly again in Princeton. He left Princeton in May 2018 and swam back to the Upriver Lakes later that month.
However, this time 21147 did not stay in Lake Butte de Morts but entered Lake Winneconne. He stayed there for nearly three years. In March 2021, he once again returned to the Fox River, heading towards Princeton.
Only this time, Princeton was not his final stop. Three days after arriving in Princeton, 21147 was detected below Lake Puckaway. He was not detected again for over two weeks. It’s unclear whether he entered Lake Puckaway or remained in the river, but it’s exciting to see 21147 expand his horizons.
While many sturgeon return to the same spawning site annually, there are a few sturgeon, like 21147, that visit multiple different sites within a river system between years. We last tracked 21147 to Lake Butte des Morts in May 2021 and are excited to see what else we learn from this fish.
