DEC Region 8 to Stock Lake Sturgeon in Genesee River

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Region 8 Bureau of Fisheries today announced stocking of lake sturgeon in the Genesee River at the Port of Rochester, 4630 Lake Avenue, Rochester, Monroe County on October 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.  

Join DEC to watch the release of 1,500 lake sturgeon fingerlings into the Genesee River, observe the young fingerlings, and speak with DEC staff about the importance of lake sturgeon in New York State waters.  

DEC partners on stocking with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) New York Field Office which collected the eggs and transferred them to Genoa National Fish Hatchery. At the hatchery, they were raised to their current size and transported back to New York to be stocked into several waters, including the Genesee River.  

Overfishing and habitat loss caused severe declines of New York’s lake sturgeon spawning populations, leading to their listing as a state-threatened species in 1983. Years of effort to clean up the Genesee River under the Rochester Embayment Remedial Action Plan, have helped create a healthy environment. In 2003, DEC teamed with the USFWS, the U.S. Geological Survey, and Rochester’s Seneca Park Zoo to begin releasing young lake sturgeon into the lower Genesee River to help restore the species and grow the number of active spawning sites across the state. 

In 2021, DEC announced the first finding of lake sturgeon spawning in the Genesee River in more than 50 years. This discovery spotlighted the success of the State’s ongoing efforts to restore the population. 

Since 2003, approximately 9,000 lake sturgeon have been stocked into the Genesee River. Stocking, along with improved water quality conditions and habitat restoration within the recently restored and delisted Rochester Embayment Area of Concern has provided an aquatic environment suitable for maintaining lake sturgeon populations within the Genesee River. 

For more information about lake sturgeon management, visit Lake Sturgeon Management in New York - NYSDEC.  

Sources: https://dec.ny.gov/news/press-releases/2026/10/dec-region-8-to-stock-lake-sturgeon-in-genesee-river