People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Kathleen Schmitt Kline, Frederick P. Binkowski, Ronald M. Bruch
  • People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish a tale of the cultural and scientific history of an iconic Wisconsin fish, the lake sturgeon. Throughout the process of writing the book, the authors interviewed community activists, sturgeon spearing enthusiasts, spear and decoy craftsmen, and scientific researchers associated with the Lake Winnebago sturgeon population. Because of the cultural, social, economic, and scientific knowledge captured in these interviews, the UW-Madison Wisconsin Water Library preserved the audio files as a collection of oral histories. This collection, People of the Sturgeon, encapsulates perspectives on lake sturgeon as they are reflected in the book.

    The People of the Sturgeon collection includes interviews with outdoorsmen, scientists, and craftsmen associated with the Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, lake sturgeon population.

    Collection compiled by the UW-Madison Wisconsin Water Library. Audio courtesy of the Oshkosh Public Museum. Recordings were collected as part of the research for People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Madison, WI.

Interviewee Collection Sort ascending Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Frederick Binkowski, Part 1 People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Frederick Binkowski, an aquaculturist with a significant focus on sturgeon propagation, has contributed extensively to the field of fishery science through both practical and research-oriented endeavors. His career, marked by a dedication to understanding and improving the conditions for raising sturgeon in controlled environments, spans several decades. Binkowski's work has been pivotal in addressing the complexities associated with sturgeon aquaculture, including breeding, egg incubation, and larval rearing.

Kathleen Schmitt Kline Unknown University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Serge Doroshov People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Serge Doroshov is interviewed by Kathleen Schmitt Kline about the founding of the World Sturgeon Conservation Society. Serge discusses sturgeon population and spawning and his work in the United States at UC-Davis.

Kathleen Schmitt Kline Unknown University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Willard Jenkins People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Willard Jenkins is interviewed by Bill Casper about his experiences fishing sturgeon. They discuss Willard'ss first time fishing in the late 1940s, some of the more memorable people he's known, and methods of rescuing people from mishaps on the ice.

Bill Casper Malone, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Mike Remme People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Mike Remme describes his personal fishing history in and around Green Bay in an interview conducted by Dominic Carmona. Mike began fishing at around age 13 and tells of his biggest catch. Also tells of his father, Leroy Remme, catching the largest sturgeon one season, the death of a friend on the ice, and of the accidental destruction of a friend's shanty by fire

Dominic Carmona Fremont, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Frederick Binkowski, Part 2 People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Frederick Binkowski, a senior research scientist at the Water Institute, has dedicated a significant portion of his career to the study and conservation of sturgeon species. Binkowski studies sturgeon biology, including the intricacies of their feeding habits, breeding, and rearing in laboratory conditions. His work has not only advanced the scientific community's understanding of sturgeon but also contributed to practical conservation efforts, such as the rehabilitation project on the upper Fox River initiated in 2002.

Kathleen Schmitt Kline Unknown University of Wisconsin Board of Regents
Ron Epprecht People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Ron Epprecht is interviewed by Eugene Herubin about his skill at decoy carving. He discusses color, shape, and style variations for decoys, how he got involved with carving, and why he has a continued interest in carving and spearing sturgeon.

Eugene Herubin Oshkosh, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Carl Jersild People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Carl Jersild, interviewed by Dick Koerner, tells of his first and only sturgeon he speared in 19 years. He also praises the DNR for the work in managing the sturgeon population. In addition, Carl also relates a story about being on shifting ice, and another about a friend who videotaped his day sturgeon fishing only to find out, while watching the videotape, that he missed a golden opportunity. 

Dick Koerner Neenah, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Todd Schaller People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Todd Schaller, Convservation Warden Supervisor in Oshkosh, is interviewed by Kathleen Schmitt Kline regarding his involvement with the Sturgeon Guard program and public attitudes toward sturgeon due to Sturgeon for Tomorrow.

Kathleen Schmitt Kline Oshkosh, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Gwen Bowe People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Gwen Bowe, a resident of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has been sturgeon fishing on Lake Winnebago since 1980. Her first catch was a significant one, marking the beginning of her independent fishing endeavors. This fish she speared was eventually donated to Case Western Reserve University when Robert Kennedy, Jr. contacted Bill Casper about getting a sturgeon to display in the museum. Prior to that, she had accompanied her husband on fishing trips but had not actively fished herself. 

Bill Casper Wabeno, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Dan Folz People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Kathleen Schmitt Kline interviews Dan Folz about his involvement with sturgeon through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. He discusses studying and managing sturgeon and spawning site monitoring programs.

Kathleen Schmitt Kline Unknown University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum