Video of Sturgeon tagging program January 2004
courtesy of: Barry Z.
WHITE STURGEON: Acipenser transmontanus
Found all through the Fraser river from the Ocean at Vancouver upriver to Prince George.
The White Sturgeon is Canada's freshwater "Marlin" growing up to 25 feet and OVER 2000 lbs.
Every year angler's catch a few in the 800 lb range on hi-strength rods and lines.
To land one of these monsters can take up to 4 hours and all the muscle you've got!
Few fisher's can reel one of these in and not be tired. To see several hundred pounds of fish
leap into the air is a sight you won't forget!
The Sturgeon of this river system are plentiful and healthy but their brothers are not.
The Columbia and Nechako and Kootenay river populations are endangered
and could face extinction.
The endangered populations are due to loss of habitat from the dams (and drains) built on the rivers. Low birthrates, habitat destruction and over-fishing have all contributed to record low populations in these systems.
Currently all Sturgeon fishing is catch and release only. Fishing Sturgeon using "Catch and Release" has shown that NO damage is sustained by the fish. (over 24,000 caught and released by Tagging program with over 8,000 recaptures and NO deaths)
The main killer of Fraser river Sturgeon in recent years has been as "By-catch" and "ceremonial" kills by First nation fishers in their gill-nets. Better supervision of nets by First nations would greatly mitigate the losses due to entangled sturgeon. New FN's commercial Chum and Pink fisheries have also caused higher stresses and mortality on the sturgeon and other non-targeted species. DFO and the treaty writers are going in opposite directions and our rights to fish will soon die along with the sturgeon and salmon. The big winner will be the federal coffers and BC Hydro as the only thing in the way of a Hydro project on the Fraser is the fish. FN's will get the blame (instead of the government) and $2b a year will be generated by the new dam. So big government will say one thing and do another as always.
The next major killer of sturgeon has been Poaching. Due to the existence of "farmed" sturgeon illegal sales of poached sturgeon continues. Illegal set lines are still found and destroyed by fisheries. But with limited enforcement due to low funding (see above), the losses continue.
Some sturgeon are also caught in commercial nets but the survival rates are much higher.
The Fraser Valley Angling guides Association members have been active in tagging
Sturgeon to gain scientific information on the Fraser river stocks. The Tagging program
in place now is showing that this stock is healthy and reproducing well.
(Note the sensitive barbles that give this fish a soft touch. Many pits line the nose used for detecting minute voltages associated with prey.)
It is the responsibility of all fishers to report any illegal fishing or poaching.
In the future by-catch issues must be dealt with. It is the opinion
of BC Game Fisher and many others that enforcement
must be stepped up. To allow continued fishing for sturgeon,
the Fraser river stock must be protected from poachers.
So if you fish, Observe Record and Report any illegal fishing you see!
for more information on Sturgeon and issues please follow the links below:
STURGEON SIZE CHART
INCHES LONG= WEIGHT IN POUNDS
20" = 2 LBS. 78" = 145 LBS. 132" = 724 LBS.
36" = 14 LBS. 84" = 185 LBS. 144" = 943LBS.
48" = 33 LBS. 96" = 276 LBS. 156" = 1202 LBS.
60" = 65 LBS. 108" = 394 LBS. 168" = 1525 LBS.
72" = 115 LBS. 120" = 542 LBS. 180" = 1750 LBS.
THE LARGEST CAUGHT WAS OVER 18 FEET OR 216" AND OVER 2000 LBS.
AFTER THEY REACH 5 FOOT IN LENGTH EACH FOOT ADDS MAJOR WEIGHT
Possibly the toughest fish swimming the White Sturgeon is more like a shark than a fish.
With their skeletons on the outside and bony "scutes" running their length, careful handling is a must!
Stories of the sturgeons stamina and strength are legend, First nations lore reveres it. One often told story " when the settlers dyked and drained the Chilliwack swamp, and began plowing the new fields for the first time, They found sturgeon alive buried in the dried mud three years later !". This is a fish that has existed on this planet relatively unchanged for over 170 million years!
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