Sturgeon spearing licenses must be purchased by Oct. 31
OSHKOSH, Wis. — People who want to participate in lake sturgeon spearing in 2005 must buy their license by Oct. 31, 2004, unless they are military personnel home on leave or will be turning 14 years old between Nov. 1 and the last day of the 2005 spearing season.
There are separate lake sturgeon spearing seasons on Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes — Butte des Morts, Winneconne and Poygan — for 2005. The separate license for spearing the Upriver Lakes is new for 2005, and spearers can purchase either a Lake Winnebago spearing license or an Upriver Lakes spearing licenses: they cannot purchase both, and they will not be able to spear for sturgeon on both waters in 2005, according to Ron Bruch, a Department of Natural Resources senior sturgeon biologist and fisheries supervisor based in Oshkosh.
“Spearers must tell the license vendor which license, Winnebago OR Upriver Lakes, they want at the time of purchase as part of continuing efforts to decrease harvest pressure on the fishery,” Bruch says.
Previously, a spearer needed only a single license to participate in the Lake Winnebago season and the Upriver Lakes season, which has occurred every fifth year since 1971. The separate licenses and seasons, along with the fact that the Upriver Lakes season is only open for one day, Feb. 12, 2005, are the latest regulatory efforts that sturgeon biologists and the Lake Winnebago Sturgeon Advisory Committee members have made to try to reduce harvest pressure on the slow growing, late-maturing adult females.
More changes may be on the horizon for the Lake Winnebago fishery for 2005, following the 2004 season in which spearers recorded the highest one-day harvest and exceeded the harvest cap put in place to protect the fishery.
The citizens advisory committee has endorsed asking the DNR administration and the Natural Resources Board to consider closing the 2005 Lake Winnebago season after one day if spearers exceed the harvest cap. The group is exploring other methods to decrease the harvest rate and guarantee a longer spearing season and expects to make a recommendation by summer 2005, Bruch says.
If the closing change is approved, the Lake Winnebago season could potentially be one day, the same as the Upriver Lakes season. Both spearing seasons are set to open Feb. 12 at 6:30 a.m., Bruch says.
Current rules that provide for a minimum two-day season on Lake Winnebago were passed before changes in the fishery, including improved water clarity and a growing number of spearers that have resulted in the exceptionally higher harvest rates on opening weekend. Overharvest of adult females is a particular concern because they’re the backbone of the lake sturgeon population and because they don’t spawn until they are 20 to 25 years old, and then only every three to five years, Bruch says.
DNR plans to conduct a series of public meetings in early 2005 to discuss regulation options, Bruch says.