Chatsworth, GA. – Along the Coosawattee River in northern Georgia, a simple yet important question is guiding a complex effort: Are Lake sturgeon finally returning to spawn on their own after decades of absence? This potential return could be a hopeful sign for the river's health and native biodiversity.
Teams from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are working to answer this question below Carters Lake, where slight adjustments in water flow might be recreating the conditions these fish need for reproduction.
On April 14, a team of biologists from the USACE Mobile District conducted field sampling at the Reregulation Dam Recreation Area near Chatsworth, Georgia. Their goal is to determine whether lake sturgeon, which have been stocked in the river system for over 20 years, are now sustaining themselves through natural reproduction.
“For about the past 20 to 25 years, the state of Georgia and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been stocking lake sturgeon,” said Terry “TJ” Rickey, the Mobile District Sustainable Rivers Program manager. “What we are trying to determine now is whether those fish are spawning on their own.”
Lake sturgeon once moved freely throughout this river system, but their numbers sharply declined in the 1980s. Recently, adult fish have been observed gathering below the reregulation dam during the spring spawning season, raising an intriguing possibility: If the fish are returning, can the river support them once again?
To help answer this question, USACE is adjusting the way water flows through the dam by utilizing two gates instead of one.
“Instead of using one gate to pass flows, we are using two gates,” Rickey explained. “This helps spread the water out more evenly and creates additional areas where the fish can spawn.”
This change does not increase the total volume of water released; rather, it modifies how the water moves through the channel. The result is a more diverse range of flow conditions, including additional eddies and habitat around a mid-channel island. These features are essential for lake sturgeon, which depend on specific water speeds and river bottom conditions for reproduction.
In 2024, teams mapped the water velocity to understand the river's behavior under different conditions. In 2025, crews placed egg mats in the water to look for signs of spawning. This year, the focus has shifted to one of the clearest indicators of reproduction: larval fish, showcasing a careful, data-driven approach to conservation.
“Catching larval sturgeon is one of the strongest signs that spawning is actually happening,” Rickey noted.
To locate them, crews are using drift nets and lighted traps designed to capture fish as they move downstream after hatching. The samples are then analyzed, including genetic testing, to confirm whether they are indeed lake sturgeon.
This effort brings together a wide range of partners. USACE planners, water management staff, and field crews are collaborating with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the University of Georgia, and project staff at Carters Lake, highlighting the importance of teamwork in conservation.
The long-term goal is clear: to make these flow adjustments a standard part of operations during the spawning season without impacting other project requirements.
“We want to integrate this as a regular operation during that time of year,” Rickey said. “It does not change how much water we release, and it does not affect hydropower or recreation. It simply changes how the water moves through the channel.”
If successful, this initiative could demonstrate how targeted operational changes can support native species while still meeting project needs.
For the team on the river, the work is measured in small samples and meticulous data collection. However, the potential outcome could signify something much greater: the return of a species that has been absent from these waters for decades.