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How are science and tradition saving sturgeon?

SEGMENT 1 | MANISTEE, MICHIGAN; SHAWANO, WISCONSIN

When the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians in Manistee, MI, decided to start a lake sturgeon restoration program, they started by hiring two recently graduated fisheries research biologists to help them set it up.

“I remember getting there and realizing that the scientific knowledge that I had was only a piece,” fisheries biologist Marty Holtgren said.

Because many of the standard scientific practices of the time conflicted with the Tribe’s cultural beliefs, the Tribe challenged the restoration team to come up with alternative ways of helping the Big Manistee River Nmé (lake sturgeon.) Their inventive solution has revolutionizing how lake sturgeon are raised in the Great Lakes.

Streamside hatcheries are now the lead method for lake sturgeon restoration in the Great Lakes, with 14 facilities operating across the basin.

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How much plastic is in the Great Lakes?

SEGMENT 2 | TORONTO, ONTARIO; ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA

Microplastics are turning up everywhere, including our water, our food, and even our bodies. And the Great Lakes are no exception.

Ripples of Plastic is a documentary from Ohio filmmakers Chris Langer and Josh Heese that investigates how plastic pollution is making its way into the largest freshwater system in the world.

The film follows researchers, scientists, and community advocates as they work to understand the scope of the plastic problem in the lakes. Along the way, they uncover how these particles affect fish, birds, ecosystems, and the people who depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water, recreation, and livelihoods.