Lake Sturgeon Restoration
(Updated: January 2006)
Lake sturgeon are a primitive fish easily identified by an unusual body shape and the presence of sharp bony plates along the back and sides. These fish are long lived (154 years) and grow large (310 pounds). They are considered "State Endangered" and work to increase their numbers has begun in several Tennessee rivers.
Approximately 50,988 lake sturgeon have recently been stocked into the French Broad and Holston Rivers downstream of Douglas and Cherokee Reservoirs. These fish can travel long distances and could be anywhere within the Tennessee River watershed including, but not limited to Tellico, Ft. Loudoun, Watts Bar, and Melton Hill Reservoirs. An additional 3,500 were stocked into the upper Clinch River in 1992 and may have found their way into Norris Reservoir. The Cumberland River in Nashville received its first stocking of 619 fish on November 1, 2006.
If you have caught a lake sturgeon, please report the approximate length and location to TWRA's George Scholten in Nashville (615-781-6574). The TWRA provides a certificate to those anglers who report the catch and release of this species.
Possession of lake sturgeon is illegal; these fish must be returned to the water, unharmed, as soon as possible!
Click for a sturgeon stocking/resoration video
A young lake sturgeon released in June of 2006
Sign to be posted on river banks and access areas
