The SPEAR Act would amend the Endangered Species Act to prevent the federal government from listing any Wisconsin population of lake sturgeon as threatened or endangered. The bill specifically protects the lake sturgeon population in the Lake Winnebago system and throughout Wisconsin from federal Endangered Species Act protections, allowing the state to continue managing the species independently. According to the legislation, Wisconsin has successfully rebuilt its lake sturgeon population through cooperation between state agencies, conservation groups, and local communities, and the bill argues that continued state management, including an annual sturgeon spearing season, is essential to maintaining this recovery and the cultural and economic traditions surrounding the fishery. The bill contains no specific funding provisions or implementation timelines. This legislation would affect federal wildlife protection authority and potentially impact environmental groups and federal agencies that use the Endangered Species Act to regulate fish populations.
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