IAA Teams Up to Save the Sturgeons!
Written by Stella Signorelli
On Sept. 13, science teacher Hannah Reyes and eleven of her students attended the second Grand Traverse Band Sturgeon Release Ceremony. They joined the Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians in helping return hundreds of endangered, juvenile Nmé (Lake Sturgeons) to the Boardman/Ottaway River, located in Traverse City.
The event took place at Hannah Park, located right next to the river. Tribal Chairwoman Sandra Witherspoon spoke at the ceremony, which also included drumming, a prayer with offerings, an arctic grayling fish display, and food and drinks.
Thanks to IAA’s partnership with the Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, it has given high school students the rare opportunity to actually handle an endangered species. The Band has unique historical rights over certain species as a part of their treaties. They’re dedicated to conservatorship—and the reason for this, according to Miss Reyes, is “because they treat the species as entities. Meaning that the species itself has rights, much like a human being would.”
The sturgeon is one of the oldest species in the area, a species so old that they’ve been around since the existence of dinosaurs.While the ceremony releases them while they are still quite small, a full grown sturgeon can grow to over six feet long and weigh nearly 200 to 300 pounds! Although their population numbers have been low and have yet to be studied, Reyes believes that they potentially be amazing for the balance of our ecosystem.
Michigan’s lakes have massive issues with invasive mussels, specifically quagga and zebra mussels. They cover the floor of our lakes, but that’s where a lot of fish eggs sit. This causes a lot of issues for the fish populations of the Great Lakes, because these eggs can’t find purchase at the bottom of the shore.
That’s where the sturgeon comes in: despite their humongous size, they are not remotely aggressive and purely bottom feeders. Ms. Reyes shared her curiosity in seeing how these sturgeon could make a huge impact on the invasive mussel population and help the ecosystem of these lakes, but in order for this to happen, the Band must make sure that these baby sturgeon grow to a sufficient size so that they have a chance to survive in these lakes without getting eaten. Once these baby sturgeon are large enough to be released, they will travel and won’t return back until 20 years later to breed!
Ms. Reyes what’s to continue fostering collaboration between Interlochen and the Grand Traverse Band. In fact on Wednesday, Oct. 8, Reyes took her senior class on a lab field trip to the Tribal Hatchery, in order to see baby sturgeons before they are eventually released by the tribe. Interlochen’s involvement with the reconciliation with the sturgeons goes far beyond field trips, in fact, we are taking care of our very own baby sturgeon! Which you can find in a tank within our very own Dow Rotunda.