The DNR is pretty clear about the penalties for poaching in our state, whether it's something as big as a bear, or small as a fish.
And the DNR isn't the only group who takes the matter seriously.
On the surface the black river looks calm, but underwater there are massive fish like this one.
To get a closer look, one researcher dove it to grab one
"This fish right here is probably in the 100 year old area."
A female sturgeon like this one could weigh around a hundred pounds and would usually be the type of fish targeted by poachers.
"About the 60s to the late 90's is when the sturgeon poaching dramatically increased and through that the departments started seeing declines in the fishery," says Sgt. Mark DePew from the Department of Natural Resources.
To help the department of natural resources stop the poaching, groups like 'sturgeon for tomorrow' were started.
Every spring they camp out on the banks of the black river to keep an eye on the big fish.
"When they reach this size right here, the fish is invaluable to our population and just to take it out just for the sake of taking it out is atrocious. That fish, we'll say is a hundred years old." says Gil Archambo from the Sturgeon for tomorrow.
Further up the stream there is a sturgeon hatchery run by Michigan State University.
"What we're able to do here in the hatchery is move the fish past that stage where they're vulnerable to predation to a size where they're more likely to survive their first winter," says Doug Larson researcher from Michigan State University.
And before they become larger fish like this one, have to be hatched from tiny eggs that look like caviar.
"The fact that these people donate their time to protect the resource, the sturgeon, is so important to us. It frees up an officer, it puts more eyes and ear out there. Basically they're instructed if they see something suspicious to gather as much information as they can and immediately contact a conservation officer," says Sgt. Mark DePew.
You can still fish for sturgeon, but only for a short time during the winter.
Any other fishing in the area is considered poaching and is illegal.
People who are caught poaching sturgeon could face a minimum of 30-days in jail, and up to three-thousand dollars in fines.
