In 1995, the Tennessee River Lake Sturgeon Working Group was created to reintroduce lake sturgeon into their historic range in the Tennessee River. The original working group consisted of a multi-agency partnership between the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), Tennessee Valley Authority, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute, Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, University of Tennessee, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, US Geological Survey, Tennessee Technological University, World Wildlife Fund, and the Tennessee Clean Water Network. In 2006, the Cumberland River was added, and since then, other agencies and groups have joined from states such as North Carolina, Kentucky, and Georgia. The group was re-named the Southeastern Lake Sturgeon Working Group. Over the years, geneticists from the USFWS and TN Aquarium have evaluated the genetic diversity of the lake sturgeon in the program. In addition, fish health biologists from USFWS Warm Springs Fish Health Center have examined lake sturgeon from hatcheries and the Tennessee River and have not found any health concerns.
Members of the working group spawn lake sturgeon at Shawano Dam on the Wolf River in Wisconsin. The fertilized eggs are transported to Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery for early rearing. After approximately thirty days, the fish are divided among grow out facilities. Edenton National Fish Hatchery is one of over ten hatcheries that rear lake sturgeon as part of this restoration program.
Lake sturgeon feeding regimes vary at different restoration facilities but these fish are typically fed a combination live brine shrimp (Artemia sp) nauplii, frozen bloodworms (chironomids), frozen krill (varying species), and/or a commercially prepared diets. Prior to release, the lake sturgeon are marked by removal of specific scutes, which denotes their year class if these fish are recaptured. Sturgeon are reared for approximately five months at the facilities, and are released in different locations in the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers or their tributaries.
Since 2000, over 300,000 lake sturgeon have been stocked. From 2011 through 2021, biologists have captured and released approximately 700 lake sturgeon during monitoring efforts on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. TWRA has enlisted the help of anglers to photograph, and report catch information on lake sturgeon in these rivers in exchange for a certificate. Since 2006, TWRA has issued 873 certificates to anglers for reporting the catch and release of lake sturgeon in Tennessee. The goal of the restoration program is for the lake sturgeon to reach healthy, self-sustaining populations and support a well-managed sport fishery.