Bringing sturgeon back
Cuyahoga River’s renewal continues as lake sturgeon are ready to make a comeback
The Cuyahoga River is one step closer to lake sturgeon reintroduction.
On October 2, a collaborative conservation partnership released 60 juvenile lake sturgeon into the Cuyahoga River where the species has not had a sustainable presence since the late 1800s. Implanted with transmitters as part of a pilot project to evaluate movement and survival, these sturgeon will inform decisions on the first annual release of 1,500 sturgeon at various river locations in the fall of 2025.
The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, Cleveland Metroparks, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Summit Metroparks, and US Geological Survey joined US Fish and Wildlife Service to participate in the morning release.
“Sturgeon were historically in the river, but due to habitat degradation, water quality impairments, overfishing, they stopped doing their thing back in the 1850s,” said NEORSD Supervisor of Environmental Assessment Seth Hothem. “Overall, water quality has gotten better to the point where they can survive [here] again.”
“The improvements that we’ve made, and then all the watershed work that we’re doing, all contribute to that water quality improvement that allow to see this further success story of the river ,” said NEORSD Director of Watershed Programs Matt Scharver. “For the District, I think it means further validation of the work that we’ve been doing both on the wastewater and the stormwater side for the Cuyahoga River.”
