MICHIGAN—Sturgeon as a class pet? It might seem unusual, but this class pet has a special purpose. It’s part of a program called Sturgeon in the Classroom, a hands-on opportunity for students in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to learn all about an incredible prehistoric fish species.

John Pagel, fisheries technician on the Ottawa National Forest, has taught fisheries programs at schools in the UP for years. In 2019, he began Sturgeon in the Classroom. Halted last year due to the pandemic, the program is back this year, much to the excitement of participating schools.

“This is a way for students to build an appreciation and connection with sturgeon, which is something fisheries biologists are very passionate about,” said Pagel. “They even name the fish, which could live to be 70 to 100 years old!”

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative provided funding for tanks, filters and food for each classroom. Pagel delivered microchipped fish to each participating classroom, where the fish will live and grow until spring.

Students at five schools, ranging from fourth to 10th grade, are studying the sturgeon throughout the school year. They feed the fish daily and report the growth weekly. They measure the weight and length of each fish and submit the data to Pagel, who enters it into a database for growth tracking.

Like any responsible caretaker, students also keep the tanks clean and monitor the pH level of the water. Some classes present reports to their peers, involve other grades and even get their families involved in the program.

Sturgeon in the Classroom goes beyond caring for a fish. Students also learn about:

• Local waterways
• Threatened and endangered species
• What it takes to rebuild a population
• Importance of sturgeon to indigenous cultures
• Lifecycle and role in the ecosystem
• Local fishing history and sturgeon population decline
• The role humans play on the landscape and how it affects waterways and the lives of these long-lived fish

Sturgeon are a protected species in the state of Michigan. The Ottawa National Forest partners with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Fond Du Lac Reservation and Upper Peninsula Power Company to collect sturgeon eggs from the Sturgeon River near Lake Superior. The eggs are brought to a hatchery where they are reared into fingerlings and grow. The goal is to reestablish a spawning population in the Ontonagon River System in the UP of Michigan.

At the end of the school year the sturgeon are released into the Ontonagon River System, where they will live out their lives and become a living legend for the students who studied them.