New York DEC to stock 1,500 lake sturgeon fingerlings in Genesee River Oct. 14

DEC Region 8 will stock lake sturgeon in the Genesee River at the Port of Rochester (4630 Lake Avenue, Rochester) on Oct. 14, 2026, at 10 a.m. The public release covers 1,500 fingerlings raised after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New York Field Office collected eggs and Genoa National Fish Hatchery reared the fish.

Lake sturgeon are a New York state-threatened species after overfishing and habitat loss crashed spawning runs; they were listed in 1983. Since 2003, DEC and partners have stocked about 9,000 lake sturgeon into the lower Genesee. Cleanup under the Rochester Embayment Remedial Action Plan and habitat work helped create conditions for recovery, and DEC announced in 2021 the first documented Genesee spawning in more than 50 years.

Possession of lake sturgeon remains prohibited in New York. The Oct. 14 event is a chance to see the fingerlings and talk with DEC staff about sturgeon management, not a harvest opportunity.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: NYSDEC Region 8 — Lake sturgeon stocking in Genesee River (Oct. 2, 2026).