Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Summary
The Menominee River, a border stream between Wisconsin and Michigan, contains one of the last fishable lake sturgeon populations in Wisconsin and Michigan. A section between the White Rapids and Grand Rapids dams, 26 river miles, was intensively studied in 1969 and 1970 to determine the population present and the rate of exploitation. A randomly designed creel census schedule was employed. The population estimate based on the mark and recapture method employing four A.C. boom shockers as a means of capture was 234 and 185 legal-sized fish (42 inches and larger) in 1969 and 1970, respectively. The calculated fishing pressure was 14,300 hours in 1969 and 11,400 hours in 1970. Weekend angler counts were significantly larger than weekday counts and September counts were larger than October counts in 1969 and 1970. The estimated exploitation rate based on the anglers' harvest data was 13 percent in 1969 and 17 percent in 1970, which is considered too high. To maintain a harvestable population, an exploitation rate of 5 percent would be desirable. Wisconsin residents accounted for 78 percent of the fishing effort in both years.