NEW RICHMOND, MI -- Nearly three dozen sturgeon set for release Saturday in the Kalamazoo River were reared by state Department of Natural Resources for two extra weeks to increase the chance of survival of the fish.

The 35 fish will be released by children during a public event held by the DNR to celebrate the fish's resurgence in the river. The release runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at New Richmond Bridge County Park, located at 5740 Old Allegan Road in Manlius Township.

Lake sturgeon rearing began at the small facility in 2011, but this year marks the first time the fish have been kept longer to increase their chances of survival.

"We have a small population and we're trying to make sure any fish we do raise can get back to the spawning site here at the Kalamazoo River," DNR senior fisheries biologist Kregg Smith said.

Smith and crew have been feeding the sturgeon more to fatten them up. He said the fish are around 11 inches and have gained 2-3 inches in length and 10 grams of weight in the two additional weeks of rearing.

"We put them on a food source known as krill, a shrimp that's out in the oceans," Smith said. "It gives them some more fat for their body. When they're released it takes them a little time to find a food source out in the wild so those fat reserves help them."

Water is pumped into the rearing facility, which is about thirty yards from the river bank, to help the sturgeon better acclimate and identify with their "home" water.

Smith said it takes the work of many partners to secure funding and resources for the restoration of the sturgeon population, a group that includes the Kalamazoo River chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish band of Potawatomi Indians and the DNR.

"Our operation right now is to help stabilize the population to prevent it from declining," Smith said. "We have to create some spawning habitat and create passage beyond the dams, but once we get them where they're sustainable, we can get back to a sport fishing situation.

"A lot of the younger generations haven't had that connection with these fish, that's why we're having some kids release them to help create a connection to the lake sturgeon. We're also going to try to bring in some more common species to these waters, some walleye and bass and catfish so they see the other fish in the river."

Smith said sturgeon from the Kalamazoo River generally move out into Lake Michigan and stay within a couple kilometers of the mouth of the river. Some have ventured to the Grand Haven area, he said.

"In general, we see them in 100 to 120 feet of water in winter and early spring, but then they'll come back to the near-shore area in summer and fall. For the most part, they congregate around the area they were born from.

"They have very unique characteristics. They have no internal skeleton structure so their outside bones are those scutes you see. So that makes the inside flesh so desirable because it's not bony, it's more like eating a pork chop.

Smith said he's had sturgeon both smoked and pan-fried.

"It's a solid meat, no oily, fishy flavor to it. It's really white and flaky, it really resembles a pork loin. The ones that I've had have been really good."

That may make it a tempting catch, but anglers are reminded to research the fishing laws surrounding the body of water they're fishing. Harvesting sturgeon is highly regulated by dates and fish size.

Follow Cory Olsen on Twitter or email him at colsen@mlive.com

