WASHINGTON, D.C. — As first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) led a bipartisan letter to the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to express concerns about the massive implications a potential listing of sturgeon on the Endangered Species List would have on Wisconsin. The letter, which was signed by Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), as well as Reps. Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Bryan Steil (R-WI), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), highlighted the importance of sturgeon spearing to Wisconsin and the conservation success story that comes with Wisconsin’s management of sturgeon populations.
In part, the members wrote, “Instead of imposing a nationwide, one-size-fits-all listing that could curtail the state’s management plan and threaten a long-cherished tradition, we ask that Wisconsin lake sturgeon be exempt from any potential ESA listing. Furthermore, we encourage the Service to engage with the Wisconsin DNR, local communities, and other relevant stakeholders to help expand this model to other states and ensure the continued existence of lake sturgeon for generations to come.”
The issue stems from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducting a species status assessment of lake sturgeon and considering listing sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act. The potential listing would not only threaten the careful population management in place but would ignore the cultural importance and economic impact of lake sturgeon and sturgeon spearing to Northeast Wisconsin.
Click HERE to read more about Rep. Gallagher’s letter.
