Sturgeon fisherman wanted by DNR

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - At least three angry people called to report a mystery man who kept an endangered sturgeon he snagged in the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids. And catching the fisherman could be worth $1,000 to whoever turns him in.

A number of people witnessed the May 17 incident and hollered at the man when he, with the help of another individual, loaded the five- to six-foot fish into his pickup and drove off. Some people got his picture but not his license number.

It's illegal to keep a sturgeon, although some are caught every year when they come upstream to spawn. Fisherman who do catch them are supposed to return them to the river. The DNR is trying to restore the protected species. It's not easy.

Sturgeon can live to be 100 but they spawn only every four years and don't reproduce until they've been around awhile -- males around 12 to 15 years old and female sturgeon when they're around 20.

The loss of one can have a negative impact, said Conservation Officer Dave Rodgers. He said officers have been staking out the area of the 6th Street Dam downtown, looking for the man and his silver-gray GMC pickup with a white toolbox behind the cab.

But they haven't seen him so decided to go public with his photo and the thousand dollar reward. If caught, the man faces up to 180 days in jail, fines up to $2,000, plus restitution to the state and court costs.

Rodgers figures someone knows him, doubts the man has kept his mouth shut about his catch and hopes the reward will loosen lips or cause the fisherman to turn himself in.

Any information can go to the DNR Report A Poacher hotline at 1 800 292 7800.