Lake Sturgeon
Lake sturgeon are a native, keystone species of the Great Lakes, and of great importance to its ecosystem, but have declined to an estimated 1% of their historic population. Using the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS) and Indigenous-led stewardship and knowledge (if and when Indigenous community members may choose to share their knowledge and expertise), we aim to identify critical habitats, map movement corridors, and guide targeted restoration actions across Georgian Bay. By tracking adult and juvenile lake sturgeon, and approaching the work with respect to the interconnected web of habitats, communities, history, and culture within this scope of work, the project will directly inform sustainable and integrated recovery planning.
Major Environmental Issue
Endangered lake sturgeon in Ontario’s Great Lakes and the upper St. Lawrence region
A limited number of tributaries in Georgian Bay provide suitable conditions for natural lake sturgeon reproduction, and many historical spawning rivers are no longer viable as a result of dam construction, channelization, altered flows, and industrial activities such as logging and the associated erosion or sawdust and bark deposition. Additional pressures include shoreline development, climate-driven changes in water temperature, and invasive round goby that prey on lake sturgeon eggs and larvae.
Despite these challenges, lake sturgeon are known to respond strongly to conservation actions when critical habitats are protected or restored. Recovery successes elsewhere in the Great Lakes demonstrate that populations can rebound when spawning habitat, connectivity, and juvenile survival improve.
Research Objectives
To identify, protect, and restore habitats critical to lake sturgeon recovery in Georgian Bay by integrating acoustic telemetry, Indigenous knowledge, and targeted habitat remediation, within an already-established, Indigenous-led long-term stewardship framework.
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Map basin-scale movement patterns of adult and juvenile Lake Sturgeon to identify migration routes, feeding areas, overwintering habitats, and river–lake connectivity.
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Identify critical spawning grounds, nursery areas, and seasonal habitats using telemetry data with respect to Indigenous knowledge of historical and contemporary sturgeon behaviour.
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Identify dispersal corridors and high-risk zones, including areas affected by predation, degraded substrates, altered flow regimes, or development pressure.
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Guide targeted habitat remediation, including spawning substrate enhancement, coastal wetland restoration, and flow management recommendations.
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Create new opportunities for Indigenous-led stewardship and youth engagement through program co-development, capacity-building, and the Two-Eyed Seeing approach (recognizing the strengths of both Indigenous and western ways of knowing in tandem—a term attributed to Elder Albert Marshall and the Mi'kmaw Nation).
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Develop a 50-year Lake Sturgeon recovery framework that aligns ecological objectives with Indigenous principles of inter-generational responsibility, where communities choose to share them.
Relationship with First Nations
This project will be guided by, and co-developed with First Nations communities across Georgian Bay who express interest in participating, and will build on existing lake sturgeon stewardship, monitoring, and cultural revitalization initiatives.
Indigenous guidance and leadership—where communities choose to lead—is vital because lake sturgeon hold deep cultural and clan significance for many Nations. Indigenous knowledge provides long-term ecological insight and goals, and community stewardship ensures continuity beyond short-term research. Central to recovery efforts is youth engagement, which can strengthen future stewardship capacity and ensure cultural teachings (where communities choose to include them) about lake sturgeon.
Methods
Study sites will be selected collaboratively with participating First Nations and partners, focusing on known or suspected spawning tributaries, coastal wetlands used as nursery habitats, areas of historical lake sturgeon presence, and locations suitable for restoration.
Approximately 40 adult male and 40 adult female lake sturgeon, and 20-25 juvenile lake sturgeon will be tagged with minimally invasive acoustic transmitters, following established animal care protocols as developed by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks and any cultural protocols identified by participating First Nations. Fish movements will be tracked using the existing GLATOS receiver network across Georgian Bay, supplemented by targeted new receiver deployments in priority areas.
Telemetry data will be used to map seasonal movements, identify critical habitats, assess connectivity, and detect high-risk zones. Results will directly inform habitat remediation candidate site identification, restoration actions, including substrate enhancement, wetland rehabilitation, and flow management recommendations, as well as the optimization of hatchery and stocking program support.
Expected Outcomes
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A Georgian Bay lake sturgeon movement atlas
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Identification of spawning, nursery, and overwintering habitats
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Maps of dispersal corridors and high-risk zones
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Habitat suitability and restoration recommendations
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Prioritized list of tributaries and coastal habitats for remediation
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Flow management guidance for waterway and hydro operators
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Habitat enhancement at priority sites
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Strengthened Indigenous stewardship capacity and youth engagement
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A 50-year lake sturgeon recovery roadmap
Long-Term Vision
Lake sturgeon are a culturally significant and ecologically important species whose presence reflects the health of rivers and nearshore habitats. Guided by a 50-year horizon that reflects lake sturgeon biology and Indigenous values, this project aims to restore self-sustaining lake sturgeon populations, invite the renewal of cultural relationships with Nmé, and contribute to a scalable model for Indigenous-led freshwater stewardship across the Great Lakes.
This project represents an investment in ecological renewal, cultural revitalization, and long-term stewardship.
