Michigan's sturgeon season ends in just 17 minutes, setting new record

article

The 2025 sturgeon season ended after just 17 minutes on Black Lake. Photo: Michigan Department of Natural Resources

DETROIT (FOX 2) - At 8 a.m. on Saturday, nearly 800 anglers hit the ice at Black Lake hoping to reel in a sturgeon. Just 17 minutes later, the quota for the season was filled.

Black Lake sturgeon season is always a very quick one but this year blew the previous record out of the water - literally. 

The season opened at 8 a.m. on Black Lake, near Cheboygan, with a quota of just six sturgeon. At 8:17 a.m., the season was over as seven fish had been pulled in.

This was a return for the season as last year it was canceled due to a lack of ice on the lake. It was the first time it had ever happened. This year, however, the icy conditions were cooperative.

By the numbers:

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said 797 anglers registered for the event and traveled from across the Great Lakes region in hopes of reeling one in.

The seven sturgeon that were caught will have their data collected to give insight on the health of the local population. One of the seven was a 62-inch fish that had a tag dating back to 2010, highlighting the state's successful efforts to save the species.

The previous record for the sturgeon season was 35 minutes, meaning this year bested the record by half the time.

The state tightly controls the number of sturgeon that can be caught each year and the season lasts five days, at maximum.

Four years ago, a sturgeon measuring nearly 7 feet long and weighing 240 pounds was pulled from the Detroit River and estimated to be almost 100 years old. The Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office said the fish was one of the largest lake sturgeon ever recorded in the U.S.

The backstory:

Black Lake is one of a few select places to fish for sturgeon – the others being Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River, Otsego Lake, boundary waters between Michigan and Wisconsin, the St. Mary's River, and Portage and Torch Lakes.

Commercial fishing of sturgeon in Michigan is strictly prohibited while the sportfishing season for them is heavily regulated. In the Detroit River, any sturgeon caught between July and March when it's permitted must be immediately released.

Lake sturgeon are a unique species in Michigan and a keystone fish that inhabits the Great Lakes. Commercial fishing of the sturgeon decimated the population, leading to their near-collapse decades ago.

It can take decades for the species to reach their full size. The lifespan of a typical male is about 55 years while females are known to live for 100 years.