Grant Township, Cheboygan County, Michigan
www.granttwp.com
Reprinted from the Cheboygan Daily Tribune, Tuesday, February 8, 2011, Article written by Shawna Jankoviak

The 2011sturgeon season on Black Lake lasted only four hours before the quota of seven fish were harvested.

A total of 330 anglers registered to fish on opening day, compared to 255 last year. The season opened at 8 A.M. and was closed by noon.

Due to a flurry of fish activity just as the quota was reached, four additional sturgeon were harvested beyond the quota. Law enforcement was on the ice within
five minutes of the quota having been reached, and all shanties had been notified by 12:55 P.M.

"At 12:05 P.M. when we knew there were seven sturgeon harvested, DNR Conservation Officers were deployed to notify anglers the season was over," said
Brenda Archambo, president of Sturgeon For Tomorrow. "At the same time, the fish started moving and the additional four sturgeon were harvested before
Conservation Officers reached those anglers. If anything . . . perhaps we need to assure a rapid response stragegy, and successful anglers must notify the
registration station immediately."

Archambo further explained the issue, noting the quota compensates for potential overages.

"The quota is set at 1.2% of estimated breeding adults," Archambo said. "This is very very low and compensates for potential overages. As a rule of thumb -
5% harvest is the general rule. The overages of the quota are still within the safety net in protecting the sturgeon stock."Archambo also noted there have been
seasons when no fish were harvested.

  • The first fish was harvested by Mike Crawford of Afton. It was a 66", 73 lb. female who had been previously tagged.

  • The second sturgeon was harvested by Leon Campeau of Cheboygan. It was a 54.7", 38 lb. male who had been previously tagged.

  • The third fish was a female who was 68.1" and weighed 69 lbs. It was harvested by Ted Riley of Onaway and had not been tagged.

  • The fourth fish was harvested by Joslyn Ganske of Onaway. It was a male that was 50" and 39 lbs. and had been previously tagged.

  • The fifth fish was a 66", 72 lb. female that had not been tagged. It was harvested by Jim Leatherman of Northwood, Ohio.

  • The sixth fish was a 66.5", 66 lb. female that had been previously tagged. It was harvested by Charlie Maltby of Cheboygan.

  • The seventh fish was a 61.2", 49 lb. male that had not been tagged. It was harvested by Brian LePage of Hazel Park, MI.

  • The eighth fish was a 52", 30 lb. male that had not been tagged. It was harvested by Bryan Wolgast of Oxford, Ohio.

  • The ninth fish was a 37", 8 lb. female that had not been tagged. It was harvested by Doug Blaskowski of Cheboygan.

  • The tenth fish was a 29", 5 lb. male that had not been tagged. It was harvested by Doug Boughner of Millersburg.

  • The eleventh fish was a 59", 40 lb. male that had not been tagged. It was harvested by Jason Thorton of Cheboygan.

DNR Fisheries Management Biologist Tim Cwalinski said the season went well overall. "The fish were moving because conditions were good. People that
participated seemed happy to have had the opportunity." Cwalinski noted that anglers were encouraged to frequently call a hotline set up to deliver up-to-date
information on how many fish had been harvested. The phone line was updated constantly through the season.

The 2011 sturgeon season was to run from Feb. 5 to Feb. 9, or until the sturgeon quota was reached, whichever came first. Sturgeon fishing is only allowed
between 8 A.M. and 2 P.M. during the season.

The quota of fish to be harvested was increased this year from five to seven. The season was open to all anglers with a fishing license and sturgeon tag,
instead of only anglers selected via lottery.
Sturgeon Spearing Season Was A Short One