The denizens of Lake Champlain are spawning in at least two Vermont rivers. Biologists with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife say female endangered lake sturgeon have laid eggs in the Winooski and Lamoille rivers this spring. It’s a good sign.
Lake sturgeon are the largest fish in Lake Champlain. They can reach a length of six feet and some can live almost 150 years. But they don’t mature until they’re about 20 years old and then they only reproduce every five years.
Biologists don’t know the size of the sturgeon population, and that’s part of what they’re trying to find out. Biologist Chet Mackenzie says cleaner water and conservation efforts are helping the sturgeon population.