139-Pound Sturgeon Caught In Oneida Lake

The New York State DEC is proud to report that the largest sturgeon of Oneida Lake has been caught since the beginning of the Sturgeon Recovery Program.

This sturgeon is 72.5-inch, and weighed 139-pounds.

"This catch is great news for New York's lake sturgeon recovery program," Commissioner Seggos said. "The 139-pound sturgeon is the largest recorded from Oneida Lake since stocking began and it's an encouraging sign that efforts to recover this ancient fish, listed as a threatened species in New York since 1983, are working."

DEC began stocking lake sturgeon in Oneida Lake in 1995. This was in effort to reverse past devastating losses due to over-fishing and damming of rivers. Since then, DEC has stocked almost 11,000 sturgeon in Oneida Lake.

This large sturgeon, estimated to be 20 years old, was one of 11 caught in a single day earlier this summer. Once captured, biologists sedate the sturgeon, measure and weigh the fish, take samples to determine age, tag it, and allow the fish to recover before releasing it back into the lake.