LANSING, Mich. (News 10) – A new study suggests lake sturgeon in Michigan may live significantly longer than previously estimated, with implications for the species’ restoration and protection.
For years, scientists estimated sturgeon age by counting growth rings. But those rings become too thin to reliably read in older fish.
New method, new findings
A team that included Michigan State University and Department of Natural Resources scientists used decades of tagging data to track how individual fish grew over time.
“People have been going out, catching these sturgeon, taking measures, putting a mark on them — a tag — so that when we catch them again, we can measure the same individual,” said Scott Colborne, PhD, assistant professor of fisheries and wildlife at MSU. “We caught a sturgeon 20 years ago, and we caught it again this year. How much did it grow in that time?”…