COLUMBUS ‒ The Ohio Division of Wildlife released juvenile lake sturgeon this year in the Cuyahoga, Sandusky and Scioto rivers for the first time as part of its efforts to reintroduce the state-endangered species to local waterways.

The state agency also released six- to eight-inch sturgeon to the Maumee River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Toledo Zoo raised the fish for release.

In October, 2,000 sturgeon were released in the Cuyahoga River and 3,000 were released in the Maumee River during Toledo’s annual Sturgeon Fest, while 750 went to the Sandusky River. The Division of Wildlife said 30 were implanted with monitoring tags by The Ohio State University and released in the Scioto River in November.

Lake sturgeon were once abundant in Lake Erie and the Ohio River, but th

See Full Page