BRIDGEPORT, N.Y. -- Researchers at the Cornell Biological Field Station at Shackleton Point recently netted the largest fish ever recorded from Oneida Lake – a 73.6-inch sturgeon.
The fish, which weighed 159.4 pounds, was caught during a three-day netting survey on the lake, according to Tom Brooking, a research support specialist at the field station.
“It was absolutely an amazing fish. That’s the only way I can describe it,” he said, adding it took two people to get the sturgeon on their vessel with a special fish sling, similar to those used by salt water anglers to haul in big fish.
While on board, the sturgeon was quickly measured and weighed and kept in a small kiddie pool filled with water to help keep it wet and alive. Two tags were put on it and a piece of the fin ray was taken, which will be analyzed later to determine the fish’s age.
“It was on board for five minutes or less and then released,” Brooking said, adding the fish could possibly be 26 years old, which would make among the sturgeon first stocked in 1995 in the lake in an effort to bring the fish species back on the waterway.
The previous record fish from Oneida was another lake sturgeon caught and released in June 2019 that weighed 139 pounds. That fish measured 72.6 inches long.
The most recent three-day netting survey had reseachers setting up and checking 200-foot-long, mesh gill nets in a dozen sites across the lake, recording fish sizes and weights.
Brooking said the nets, with large holes that only catch big fish (sturgeon, drum and catfish), don’t kill the fish. He said 17 sturgeon were recorded in one day’s work, including 11 fish pulled in that were caught by one net.
The lake sturgeon is one of New York’s largest freshwater fish. Mature adults average between 3-5 feet in length and 10-80 pounds in weight, but can occasionally grow as large as 7-plus feet and more than 300 pounds.
DEC has been using artificial propagation to reestablish populations of lake sturgeon in Oneida Lake along with selected tributaries of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, including the Oswegatchie River, Black Lake, the St. Regis River and Cayuga Lake.
Lake sturgeon spawn in the spring from May-June. “Prior to spawning, adult sturgeon form groups in deep holes near the spawning site. At this time, the sturgeon may perform ‘staging’ displays that include rolling near the bottom then leaping out of the water to fall with a loud splash,” according to DEC.
Sturgeon have been listed as a threatened species in New York since 1983. There is no open fishing season for sturgeon and possession is prohibited.
Anglers should not intentionally target these rare fish. If a sturgeon is accidentally hooked, it must be released immediately. Learn more on the state Department of Environmental Conservation website.
See more photos of the record-sized Oneida Lake sturgeon on the Cornell Biological Field Station Facebook page.
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