well you would think there was
but the US side of Ontario and Erie seem to do real well with no closed season
in most cases it seems there is no scientific proof, they just arbitrarily set dates..it's like speed limits they just pick numbers out of the air with no reasoning behind it..
in many cases they use to have catch and release of the sturgeon, it was that new endangered species group that stopped the sturgeon fishing , no the MNR. even though all evidence showed the catch and release was not hurting the numbers