FREMONT — And, just like that, three of four Ohio rivers that hosted iconic lake sturgeon up until 125 years ago have juveniles swimming in them again.

Restocking efforts along the Maumee River, off Broadway near the Toledo Zoo, began in 2018. Some 3,000 baby sturgeons are released there each October.

The success of that program led the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to expand it this year to the Cuyahoga and Sandusky rivers.

On Oct. 4, the Ohio DNR had 2,000 baby lake sturgeon released into the Cuyahoga. That figure will be lowered to 1,500 a year, starting in 2026, said Travis Hartman, the department’s Lake Erie fisheries program administrator.

Another 750 baby sturgeon were released into the Sandusky Wednesday. That figure will stay the same in each successive year, he said.

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