Lake Sturgeon Restoration

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[center][/center][center](Updated: March 2006) [/center]
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. They are long lived (>150 years), and are known to exceed 1,300 pounds! Since they are considered "State Endangered," work to increase their numbers has begun in several East Tennessee rivers.
More than 29,500 lake sturgeon have been stocked into the French Broad and Holston rivers downstream of Douglas and Cherokee Reservoirs since 2000. These fish can travel long distances and could be anywhere within the Tennessee River watershed including 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.
If you have caught, or seen a lake sturgeon, please report it to the TWRA office in Morristown (1-800-332-0900) or Crossville (1-800-262-6704). We would like to know the approximate length of the fish and where it was located.
Possession of lake sturgeon is illegal; these fish must be returned to the water, unharmed, as soon as possible!
[center][url "http://www.greatlakesfishes.com/"]Click for a sturgeon video[/url][/center] [center] [/center] [center][/center]
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Lake Sturgeon release sites care of TVA [/center]
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Sign to be posted on river banks and access areas [/center]
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