Sturgeon Expert Ron Bruch Retires

After 38 years with the Department of Natural Resources fisheries programs Ron Bruch retired Thursday. Bruch was Director for the Bureau of Fisheries Management for the DNR, but for years as a sturgeon biologist was the DNR’s go-to-guy for information on Lake Winnebago system sturgeon. Current DNR Sturgeon Biologist Ryan Koenigs says Bruch certainly earned his retirement. Koenigs says he suspects Bruch like Bruch’s predecessor Dan Folz will continue to help out with the state’s sturgeon well into his retirement. In 2009 the Wisconsin Conservation Congress named Ron Bruch their Fisheries Manager of the Year. Bruch, who has a PhD in Biological Sciences from the U-W Milwaukee, is also an author. He co-authored a book called “People of the Sturgeon,” which is a book about the history of sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago.