Abstract

The lake sturgeon, a contemporary of the dinosaur, came swimmingly close to extinction in Rochester's Genesee River and Lake Ontario embayment. Twelve years of fish sampling data demonstrate that 4,000 repatriated, hatchery-reared sturgeon released so far in the Rochester Embayment EPA Area of Concern are thriving and growing from three and one half inches up to three and one half feet in ten years. With some fish now approaching spawning age, community awareness especially reminding licensed and subsistence anglers that the lake sturgeon is a protected species and is illegal to possess is heightened in novel ways. Preliminary results from a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)-funded research project comparing serum, tissue and whole carcass levels of persistent chemical contaminants (PCBs, dioxins/furans, Mirex) and heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, nickel and silver) between age-matched (9–10-year-old) lake sturgeon residing in the AOC Genesee River and non-AOC Oswegatchie River will be shared. Strategic community outreach efforts connecting storm drains to sturgeon health and celebrating the current annual release of 1,000 fingerlings at the Port of Rochester have given the community a renewed pride and stewardship of Greater Rochester and Lake Ontario waterways.

* Presenting author