The Case of the Stolen Sturgeon

Something smells a little fishy at Sturgeon Interiors, where the store's signature fiberglass sturgeon has been stolen.

Owner Betsy Hoke said she noticed the 7-foot-long, purple and white sturgeon missing from the outside lawn last week, and employees believe it was taken sometime between May 20 and 23.

And it wasn't just a matter of someone grabbing the fiberglass fish and running with it. The culprits really had to put some effort into this particular theft.

“We think they used a hacksaw to cut off the pole he was on, and they took the brackets and lifted him up. They left behind one of his fins,” she said. “They must have really wanted him, but I don’t know what they intended to with him.”

The interior furnishings business at 5974 N. Santa Monica Blvd. was started in 1970 by a woman named Jaye Sturgeon, but under Hoke’s ownership, the business’ name is more identifiable with the large fish.

“Since we got it, it’s been our mascot,” she said.

Hoke said the sturgeon has become somewhat of a mascot for the store for the past seven years. She won the sturgeon in 2004 after placing the top bid on a sturgeon-themed street art exhibit in Sturgeon Bay. Similar to the , local artists decorated the sturgeons, local businesses would sponsor them and local residents would bid on the fish.

“We’ve had him for seven years, and we’ve never had a problem until this year,” she said. “The neighbors are concerned, too. The first year we took him inside for the winter, they worried that it was stolen.”

Hoke said she’s not sure who would steal the large sturgeon, but thinks it could be an end-of-the-year high school prank of some sort. Hoke is seeking information about the sturgeon’s whereabouts and is asking whoever stole it to return it “no questions asked,” she said. She is also offering a reward as incentive.

If you have any information, call Sturgeon Interiors at 414-964-8288.