The North American sturgeon fishery dates back to the last century when lake sturgeon were a highly prized and important staple in the diet of native people. The species was an important food source to Native American tribes inhabiting the Great Lakes basin. Lake sturgeon were just as important to eastern forest Native American tribes as bison were to the western plains tribes. Lake sturgeon are benthivores, feeding on small invertebrates such as insect larvae, crayfish, snails, clams, and leeches. Sturgeon have an unusual mouth, consisting of a protrusible tube-like appendage that sucks food and other material from the soft substrate.
Sensitive barbels surround the mouth and are used to detect food items.
The largest recorded lake sturgeon was 7.5 feet in length, weighed 310 pounds, and was caught in Batchewana Bay, Lake Superior in 1922. The oldest known specimen was 154 years and weighed 207pounds, it was taken from Lake of the Woods, Minnesota. Published ages at first spawning are usually greater than 13 years for males and greater than 19 years for females. After sexual maturity is reached, there may be an interval of 2 years between successive spawning in males and 4-8 years in females. This spawning periodicity, along with late age of maturation, is a critical feature of the lake sturgeon's life history that makes them vulnerable to over-exploitation.