Wisconsin DNR says its catfish nets killed turtles in St. Croix River

Turtles found dead along the St. Croix River earlier this month were accidentally killed by nets belonging to the Wisconsin Department of Resources, the agency confirmed.

In a statement, the Wisconsin DNR said around 60 turtles - mostly shiny softshell turtles - were incidentally caught in the underwater nets deployed earlier this month to capture catfish and other species near the river bottom.

"Fisheries staff attempted to revive and recover all captured turtles, and the turtles that didn't leave immediately were placed on a sand bank to swim back into the river later," the agency shared. "DNR staff checked on the turtles a day later and noticed many swam away. However, approximately 20 turtles did not survive."

The dead turtles were later spotted on the river bank, prompting questions about how they ended up there.

According to the agency, large numbers of turtles have not been previously captured during the catfish surveys, which began in 2020.

Read the Wisconsin DNR's full statement here:

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries staff members have been sampling the St. Croix River catfish population since Aug. 5 using hoop nets. Hoop nets are often deployed underwater to capture catfish and other species that live near the bottom of the river. When DNR staff members checked the catfish nets on Wednesday, Aug. 21, they estimated that 60 turtles had been caught incidentally. This is the first time since surveys began in 2020 that a large number of turtles were captured and observed during these catfish surveys. Most of the turtles were identified as spiny softshell turtles.

DNR staff members successfully released the majority of the turtles back into the St. Croix River alive. Fisheries staff attempted to revive and recover all captured turtles, and the turtles that didn't leave immediately were placed on a sand bank to swim back into the river later. DNR staff checked on the turtles a day later and noticed many swam away. However, approximately 20 turtles did not survive. Local river users later observed some of these on the bank, which were removed by National Park Service staff over the weekend. No endangered or threatened species were impacted, and the turtle species impacted are common in the St. Croix River and have a healthy population.

DNR Fisheries staff members have now removed these nets from this location on the St. Croix River to minimize future incidental turtle catches. The DNR is committed to its responsibility of protecting and conserving all fish and wildlife species in the state.