Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Aquatic Conservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Great Lakes Aquarium requests $750,000 for sturgeon recovery exhibit and rearing support
Summary
The aquarium and Fond du Lac Band said a new 1,300‑square‑foot exhibit and flow‑through rearing system will support lake sturgeon restoration in the St. Louis River and educate the public; the request was $750,000 from the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund against a $1.7 million project budget.
Representative Johnson presented House File 12‑81 to support a conservation and public‑education program at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth focused on lake sturgeon recovery in the St. Louis River.
Jay Walker, executive director of the Great Lakes Aquarium, described a proposed 1,300 square‑foot gallery that will function as an exhibit and a working hatchery with a flow‑through life‑support system to rear juvenile lake sturgeon. The exhibit would provide up‑close experiences for visitors and complement stream‑side rearing trailers and stocking programs operated with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Minnesota DNR and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
Eric Torvenen, fisheries program manager for the Fond du Lac Band, described a long‑running stocking and restoration effort that began in 1998 and said the partnership with the aquarium will increase stocking consistency and provide locally reared juveniles appropriate for upper and lower St. Louis River releases. Walker said the total project budget is $1,700,000; the aquarium requested $750,000 from the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund for the exhibit, has secured $300,000 and has $550,000 in pending grant support.
Committee members asked about project phasing and funding breakdowns; Walker said the exhibit portion is $775,000 and the remainder supports rearing and stocking operations. No committee vote on HF 12‑81 was recorded in the transcript.
Ending: Testifiers emphasized ecological and cultural importance of lake sturgeon and the educational value of an on‑site exhibit supporting long‑term recovery efforts.
