Members of the Menominee Nation of Wisconsin welcomed the return of the sturgeon to the Wolf River on Monday.

The tribe has depended on the fish for hundreds of years. Every spring, the sturgeon came home to spawn just as winter food stores were running low.

But a dam built in 1892 prevented the return of the sturgeon. So the state Department of Natural Resources physically transports a handful of fish back to the river for the annual sturgeon festival in April, a tradition begun in 1993.

Get the Story:
With a little help, sacred fish returns (The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 4/18)

Relevant Links:
Menominee Nation - http://www.menominee.nsn.us

Related Stories:
Menominee Nation revives sturgeon spearing hunt (02/06)