Ice shanties dot the horizon as the sun rises over the frozen Black Lake in northeast Michigan. It’s only 4 degrees out, but hundreds of people have gathered here — all because of the elusive, prehistoric lake sturgeon.
“They call them living fossils because they first appeared in the fossil record 130 or so million years ago, so that’s the time when dinosaurs still would have been walking the earth,” said Doug Larson, a sturgeon researcher from Michigan State University.
Larson stands among a crowd of spectators, who are clamoring to catch a glimpse of this mythic species.
With nearly 800 registered anglers, the odds of catching a fish are low. Sturgeon are a threatened species in Michigan, so the state sets the harvest quota for the general public at six fish annually. An additional fish serves as a buffer, according to the state.
That means, the chances of spearing a sturgeon are less than 1%, and the excitement is even more elevated this year, after the previous season was canceled due to dangerously low ice cover.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources called off the 2024 season in an emergency decision, stating the department could not adequately regulate the season and prevent overfishing.
“(It’s way better) having the fishing season and fishing contest," said Jay Woiderski, with Sturgeon for Tomorrow. "It’s fabulous. We’re excited.”
Sturgeon for Tomorrow is the local nonprofit that supports sturgeon conservation. The event is the group’s biggest fundraiser, generating about $30,000 for research, and it drives the local winter economy in the region.
But most importantly, Woiderski said the limited season keeps the cultural relevance of the lake sturgeon alive. Meanwhile, the fish population has more than doubled in the last 25 years.
“Obviously, we’re bringing awareness to it through the whole country," Woiderski said. "It’s such a well-regulated season. We’re restricted to 1.2% of the total population in this lake.”
This year, there was barely any time for anticipation to set in. In a quick procession, a series of text messages went out to all the participants, for every fish that was caught.
The first fish was speared within three minutes of the 8 a.m. start time, and after only 17 minutes, the season was over.
The crowd of onlookers parted for the lucky seven anglers, who rose to celebrity status as they haul their fish around and pose for pictures.
Debbie Lalonde speared the first fish of the season, and she was all smiles. It’s her first time catching a sturgeon.
“I was shaking, I was nervous, but it was exciting,” she said.
The largest fish was 5 feet and 3 inches and weighed nearly 80 pounds. A tag indicated the female sturgeon was caught 14 years ago during routine monitoring.
There’s no good way to know how old she was, but Larson, the MSU researcher, said she may be more than a century old.
“In the 24 years we’ve been doing this, we caught her one time," he said. "So this is a very elusive fish for us, but not for the spear.”
Sturgeon can easily outlive us, and maybe because of that fact, there’s a lot we don’t know about them.
But one thing is for sure, their mystery can draw a crowd — and conservationists hope that will keep them around for another 130 million years.
This story was produced in partnership with Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public media newsrooms in the Midwest. It reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues.