Fish Will be Featured at Grand Rapids Public Museum

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced today a brand new exhibition, Grand Fish, Grand River, will open on Saturday, January 23, 2016. This new exhibit is a thematic extension of the current West Michigan Habitats exhibit, and includes two 10-month-old Lake Sturgeon.

Grand Fish, Grand River explores how the Great Lakes region’s largest and oldest fish, the Lake Sturgeon, once found in great abundance, is now a threatened species in our watersheds. The exhibit takes visitors through the connections to Native Americans, fishing history in the region and current science. Using artifacts from the GRPM Collections, along with the two live sturgeon, it will tie together the cultural, historical and scientific connections and explore rehabilitation efforts for this species in the Grand River and throughout the Great Lakes region.

On Saturday, January 23, the GRPM will celebrate the opening of this exhibit in conjunction of the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference taking place at the Amway Grand Hotel. The event at the Museum will include special book signing of “The Great Lake Sturgeon” by author Dr. Nancy Auer. Grand Fish, Grand River will be free with general admission to the Museum. For more information visit grpm.org.

Lake Sturgeon live along the rocky bottoms of our lakes and rivers, and are an important environmental indicator for the health of our ecosystem. These fish have fossil ancestors that from the Early Jurassic Period – the age of the dinosaurs. Lake Sturgeon have affected the region historically and culturally and still do today.

The Michigan DNR has identified 24 lake sturgeon populations as distinguished by major watersheds in Michigan waters: 2 in the Lake Superior drainage, 11 in the Lake Michigan drainage, 9 in the Lake Huron drainage and 2 in the Lake Erie/Lake St. Clair complex.

This exhibit has been made possible through partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, Tribal Coordination Unit, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, Oden State Fish Hatchery and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and through sponsorship by Aqua Blue Aquarium Solutions, Blue Fish Aquarium, Grand Rapids Steelheaders Foundation, Great Lakes Fishery Trust and Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited.