Celebrating the Sturgeon Maritime Trails Marker - Lakeshore State Park
Gallery
img
Celebrating the Sturgeon Lakeshore State Park Maritime Trails Marker
 
Details
Attraction
Location
Body of Water: Lake Michigan
Trail Name: Lower Lake Michigan
Year Built: 2019
Nearest Address: 500 N Harbor Dr
Nearest City: Milwaukee
County: Milwaukee
Zip Code: 53202
Latitude: N 43° 02.072'
Longitude: W -087° 53.820'
Attraction
Features
Open to public?: Yes
Mooring buoy?: No
Mooring buoy in place?: No
Snorkelable?: No
Dive guide?: No
Trails sign?: Yes
National Register?: No
Attraction
Description
Marker is located along the Hank Aaron State Trail in Lakeshore State Park.
----------
Marker Narrative Text:
All 27 known species of sturgeon reside in the Northern Hemisphere. Only three species live their entire lives in fresh water environments and, of these freshwater species, Shovelnose Sturgeon and Lake Sturgeon are found in Wisconsin waters.

Existing for over 100 million years, the noble sturgeon retains an ancient look. They can grow up to six feet in length, weigh more than 100 pounds, and live up to 100 years. Similar to sharks, the skeleton of a sturgeon is made of cartilage. Instead of scales, they have rough skin topped with five rows of bony shell-shaped plates called scutes. Like vacuum cleaners, these fish use their whiskers to detect food that is then sucked up from the bottom.

Decreasing Numbers
In the early 1800s, millions of sturgeon resided in the Great Lakes and surrounding watersheds – so many that sturgeon were considered a nuisance. Their habit of destroying fishing nets with their strong bodies resulted in the destruction of sturgeon in large numbers to protect fishing of more popular species. Sturgeon became a popular source of burning fuel and compost fertilizer. By the mid-1800s, people discovered a new taste for sturgeon and began consuming them and their caviar at an alarming rate. The Milwaukee River, once a spawning ground for the Lake Sturgeon, recorded none of the species after 1890. Overfishing, dams, habitat destruction, and river pollution all contributed to the current threatened or endangered nature of sturgeon populations. It is believed that only a few thousand of these creatures remain in Lake Michigan.

Reintroduction Efforts
In an effort to rehabilitate Lake Sturgeon populations, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with Riveredge Nature Center Inc., began restocking the Milwaukee River with hatchery-raised sturgeon in 2003. Sturgeon return to spawn in the rivers where they were born. In 2006, a streamside rearing facility was constructed to enable sturgeon to be born and raised in the Milwaukee River. The goal of the rehabilitation project is to raise and release over 1,000 sturgeons into the Milwaukee River annually. This project not only reintroduces Lake Sturgeon to Wisconsin waters, but also allows scientists to learn more about habitat use and migration patterns. Researchers, area residents, and Lake Sturgeon enthusiasts gather annually at the Lakeshore State Park to celebrate the sturgeon and release fingerling Lake Sturgeon.
 
Map
 
Nearby
Attractions (15)
Appomattox Buoy
Appomattox Maritime Trails Marker
Celebrating the Sturgeon Maritime Trails Marker - Lakeshore State Park
Denis Sullivan
Dredge No. 6 Buoy
Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse
Milwaukee Maritime Trails Marker
Milwaukee Pierhead Light
Milwaukee Public Library Marine Collection
Milwaukee Public Museum
North Point (Milwaukee) Lighthouse
Pier Wisconsin
Prins Willem V Buoy
Self-Unloaders Maritime Trails Marker - Lakeshore State Park
Tanner Maritime Trails Marker - Lakeshore State Park
Shipwrecks (85)
A.B.C.F.M. (American Baptist Council Foreign Mission) (1854)
A.W. Lawrence (1881)
Adell (1860)
Algomah (1861)
Alice E. Wilds (1883)
Alleghany (1849)
Appomattox (1896)
Ashtabula (1854)
Badger (1837)
Barbarian (1855)
View 75 more
Shipwrecks (85)
A.B.C.F.M. (American Baptist Council Foreign Mission) (1854)
A.W. Lawrence (1881)
Adell (1860)
Algomah (1861)
Alice E. Wilds (1883)
Alleghany (1849)
Appomattox (1896)
Ashtabula (1854)
Badger (1837)
Barbarian (1855)
Black Hawk (1861)
Boston (1846)
Buckeye State (1852)
Buena Vista (1847)
C.C. Trowbridge (1838)
Cape Horn (1857)
Contest (1863)
Cumberland (1847)
E.M.B.A. (Employes' Mutual Benefit Association) (1890)
Edward E. Gillen (1872)
Edward E. Gillen (1908)
Elbe (1853)
Emily A. Roelofson (1854)
Evergreen (1864)
Fearless (1893)
Fitz Simons & Connell Dredge #6 (1912)
Freddie (1901)
Free Mason (1854)
George W. Westcott (1863)
Golden (1892)
Grace Grummond (1869)
Grayling (1876)
H. Marsh (1838)
Hiram R. Bond (1888)
Honest John (1849)
Hunter (1855)
Hurrah Boys (1872)
Ida H. Lee (1863)
J. Steinhart (1853)
J.P. Decoudres (1873)
John D. Dewar (1885)
John F. Porter (1840)
John V. Jones (1875)
Josephine (1874)
Kearsarge (1864)
Kenosha (1919)
Knight Templar (1890)
L.W. Perry (1870)
Laurina (1875)
Lavinda (1863)
Leo (1886)
Liberty (1835)
Lightship 57 (1891)
Lily E. (1869)
M.H. Stuart (1921)
M.J. Cummings (1874)
Maine (1852)
May Queen (1853)
Mayflower JR.(1913)
Milwaukee Fireboat #17 (1893)
Milwaukee Fireboat #23 (1896)
Nebraska (1849)
Nile (1843)
Norlond (1890)
Ole Bull (1853)
Orleans (1846)
Prins Willem V (1948)
Progress (1880)
Reliable (1880)
Rough Ready (1885)
Sailor Boy (1866)
Sebastopol (1855)
Sioux (1883)
Snow Drop (1853)
Solomon Juneau (1837)
Starke (1889)
Storm King (1856)
Sumatra (1874)
Tanner (1863)
Tempest (1854)
Thomas A. Scott (1869)
Toboggan (1886)
Transfer (1872)
Twin Brothers (1848)
Volunteer (1888)
View fewer
© 2026 - Wisconsin Sea Grant, Wisconsin Historical Society