Restoring the dinosaur fish of Lake Erie

Restoring the dinosaur fish of Lake Erie

May 15, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

The episode explores the efforts to restore Lake Sturgeon populations in Lake Erie through community and scientific collaboration.

Lake Sturgeon are huge, long-lived fish that are often called “living fossils.” They have survived all of Lake Erie’s hardships, and now scientists, educators and community members are all working hard to restore their populations. Michigan Public's Kate Furby and Jodi Westrick traveled around the state to learn more about Lake Sturgeon, from going out on frozen Black Lake during the ice fishing season to touching baby sturgeon in the Toledo Zoo, all in the name of learning more about the efforts being made to restore these populations to their rightful waters. Efforts to ensure lake sturgeon are here for future generations. Support for the production of this podcast was made possible by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, as part of its Great Lakes News Collaborative. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. More at michiganpublic.org/bts

People in this episode

Hosts: Kate Furby, Jodi Westrick

Topics covered

Sponsors

Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Lake Erie, Black Lake, Toledo Zoo

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