,,iii  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #fhc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,april    
#bb1 #bjbf,mr4 ,welch submitted the     
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,environment and  
,public ,works  ,,resolution  ,raising  
awareness of lake sturgeon4  ,whereas   
lake sturgeon 7,acipenser fulvescens7   
are some of the largest ,north ,american
 freshwater fishes and can live for #aej
 years or longer2 ,whereas lake sturgeon
 are considered living fossils1 as their
 lineage dates back to the time of      
dinosaurs1 making them among the oldest 
fish species still in existence2        
,whereas lake sturgeon are slow to      
reproduce as they may not spawn until   
they are at least #aj to #cj years old1 
and they only spawn every #d years on   
average2 ,whereas lake sturgeon are     
found across the ,great ,lakes1 the     
,northeastern ,united ,states1 and      
,southeastern ,canada2 ,whereas lake    
sturgeon are bottom-dwelling fish that  

require extensive areas of shallow water
 to feed on a wide variety of organisms2
 ,whereas historical overfishing1       
invasive species1 and habitat           
degradation have caused declines in the 
population of local lake sturgeon2      
,whereas many ,states list lake sturgeon
 as an endangered1 threatened1 or       
otherwise protected species2 ,whereas   
lake sturgeon serve an important role as
 an indicator of an ecosystem's health2 
,whereas lake sturgeon attract the      
attention of the public because of their
 large size and prehistoric body2       
,whereas many ,federal agencies1        
,states1 ,tribes1 and local communities 
are collaborating on lake sturgeon      
management programs that are            
reestablishing healthy lake sturgeon    
populations2 and ,whereas lake sturgeon 
have cultural importance for many       
,indigenous communities1 representing a 
traditional food source3 ,now1          
therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate      
encourages-- 7#a7 continued             

collaboration among ,federal1 ,state1   
,tribal1 and other partners to manage   
and increase lake sturgeon populations  
across their extensive range2  7#b7     
continued collaboration with ,canada to 
jointly manage and increase lake        
sturgeon populations in our shared      
waters2  7#c7 continued efforts to      
identify1 protect1 and restore the      
habitat of lake sturgeon2  7#d7         
continued efforts to prevent and control
 the spread of invasive species and     
restore the reproductive habitat of lake
 sturgeon2  7#e7 increased public       
awareness of lake sturgeon2 and  7#f7   
the education of anglers and local      
communities on the proper ways to handle
 lake sturgeon if caught4