Sturgeon Poaching in the Great Lakes has Ontario and U.S. Authorities Appealing for Help

Great Lake Sturgeon poaching is the target of stepped-up efforts by Ontario and U.S. authorities.

Unfertilized roe is illicitly harvested and sold on the black market.

"One big sturgeon could be worth almost $200,000,' said Marc Gaden of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "If you see something suspicious, say something. If you see caviar sold in a store and it doesn’t seem right, say something," says Gaden.

"We’re one of the primary jurisdictions where this is happening," said Dave Forster, president of the Ontario Association of Crime Stoppers, which runs a toll-free line for anonymous tips at 1-800-222-8477.

"In the wild, conservation officers such as Dave Hamlin of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry spend time in the bush looking for telltale signs of poaching.They include large pools of blood on the ground, piles of heavy fishing line needed for sturgeon, and, in some cases, sturgeon tied up along a riverbank and kept alive until a buyer can be contacted."

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