In recent years, the quirky fish - which has a sleek shape, whisker-like sensory organs on its snout and sharp, bony plates along its body that make it look like a cross between a shark, a catfish and a dinosaur - has become a symbol of improved ecosystem health. Overfishing in the 1800s, followed by the construction of dams that destroyed prime fish spawning habitat, eliminated all but 1% of the Great Lakes sturgeon population, according to government estimates. Lake sturgeon, which can grow to 8 feet long and weigh 200 pounds, have occupied lakes and rivers in and around the Great Lakes basin for around 130 million years, long before dinosaurs went extinct. It’s part of a 21st century effort to revive a prehistoric species of fish that some biologists call dinosaurs of the deep. The Flint River is playing an important role in efforts to restore the lake sturgeon population in the Great Lakes basin.
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