Acoustic telemetry is a popular tool for the study of fish spatial ecology. In acoustic telemetry, fish are captured, surgically implanted with an acoustic transmitter or ‘tag’, and then released back into the environment. Networks of autonomous, stationary receivers then are used to track the movements of tagged individuals over long periods of time (> 1 year). Each acoustic receiver records the date, time, and unique transmitter code (or ID) for each acoustic tag detection. This data set contains detection data for 282 acoustic-tagged lake sturgeon that were captured and released into the Detroit River, St. Clair River, and Lake Huron between 2011 and 2015. Movements of acoustic-tagged individuals were tracked in the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, Lake St. Clair, and in lakes Huron and Erie.