The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan State University have released 500 young sturgeon into the Saginaw River system to help rebuild their population. These sturgeons, raised at the Black Lake Stream Side Rearing Facility, are tagged and released into various rivers. Due to illegal harvesting and habitat loss, sturgeon populations have declined, but regulations and rearing programs are aiding their recovery. The aim is for the sturgeon population to become self-sufficient. Research has improved the survival rates of reared sturgeons, which can live up to 150 years and grow significantly large. Other Michigan sturgeon populations, such as those in the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers, remain strong.