Associated Press

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LANSING, Mich. — Hook-and-line fishing seasons for lake sturgeon are opening this weekend in some Michigan waters.

Sturgeon are the largest native fish in the Great Lakes. Once abundant, the population declined sharply after the mid-1800s because overfishing and habitat destruction. They're now listed as a threatened species in Michigan.

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The season for pursuing them in most of Michigan's Great Lakes and connecting waters begins Saturday and ends Nov. 30.

In most of those places, any sturgeon caught must be released immediately. The exception is in Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River, where anglers can keep sturgeon between 42 and 50 inches long. The possession season lasts only until Sept. 30.

Otsego Lake's fishing and possession season runs through March 15.

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