MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Sturgeon Management Plan will be available for public comment starting on Oct. 14, and the department will host a public meeting to discuss the plan in Green Bay on Oct. 16 from 6-8 p.m.

The meeting will also be webcast through the DNR Mediasite at dnr.wi.gov, search “sturgeon management.” The public can attend the meeting in person or tune in online to learn more about the management plan. Stakeholders who choose to watch the meeting live via Mediasite will have an opportunity to ask questions to be answered during the comment period.

The DNR will be accepting public comments from Oct. 14 to Nov. 4. Comments can be submitted at the meeting or via email to DNRSturgeonPlan@wisconsin.gov.

“Wisconsin waters are home to some of the strongest populations of lake sturgeon and shovelnose sturgeon in North America,” said Ryan Koenigs, who chairs the DNR Sturgeon Team. “Effective management of these species is critical to sustaining populations and maintaining harvest opportunities into the future.”

Both sturgeon species support unique recreational harvest opportunities, and a commercial fishery persists on the Mississippi River for shovelnose sturgeon. Lake sturgeon management activities are currently guided by a Lake Sturgeon Management Plan that was produced in 2000. Many of the objectives of this plan have since been accomplished, and there is not a plan in place to guide the management of Wisconsin’s shovelnose sturgeon populations and fisheries. The updated plan will guide future management activities of Wisconsin’s unique sturgeon resources.

The Green Bay meeting will be held at the Green Bay DNR Service Center, Lake Michigan Room, 2984 Shawano Ave., Green Bay, WI 54313-6727.

To learn more about sturgeon management, visit the DNR website and search “sturgeon management.”