CHEBOYGAN CO. -- The Lake Sturgeon season in Cheboygan County was over just hours after it began.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment said the Black Lake Sturgeon Season closed when the seventh and final sturgeon was harvested at noon on Saturday.

The 2011 season quota set by the Department of Natural Resources was raised from the five fish quota in 2010.

The season officially started Saturday at 7:00 a.m. on Black Lake. The season was set to end on Wednesday, February 9 at 2 p.m. or when the seven-fish quota was reached.

To read more about the Lake Sturgeon spearing quotas CLICK HERE.

The lake sturgeon, a remnant of the dinosaur age, is considered a species of special concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a threatened species in North America by the American Fisheries Society, a globally rare species by the Nature Conservancy, and a threatened species in the State of Michigan.

The lake sturgeon population in Michigan is estimated to be about one percent of its former abundance. The Huron-Erie corridor was, at one time, one of the most productive waters for lake sturgeon in North America.

To learn more about Lake Sturgeon CLICK HERE.