Sturgeon release fun and fascinating for whole family
By Contributor
Looking at, and holding, a juvenile white sturgeon can make you feel transported back in time. That is not surprising since the sturgeon family has remained largely unchanged since 175million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth; it is more like eye- balling a miniature, bony pre-historic creature than your average scaly fish. On April 19th the public has an opportunity to make such a connection with pre-history and, in doing so, will help future generations of a very vulnerable species.
Through funding from BC Hydro’s Water Licence Requirements (WLR) Program and the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program juvenile white sturgeon are being produced at the Wardner Hatchery for release into the Columbia River. The Annual Juvenile Sturgeon Release is being held at Hugh Keenleyside Dam. The free event runs between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
“It is wonderful to watch young and old alike gently handle and release a juvenile sturgeon into the waters of the Columbia River,” says Bill Duncan, chair of the Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative’s (UCWSRI) Community Working Group. “We really believe that offering this tactile experience will truly help people connect with the river, and with these very important fish.”
This year will mark the ninth year that BC Hydro, the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program and the UCWSRI have released juvenile sturgeon into the Columbia River. Approximately four thousand juvenile sturgeon will be released below Hugh Keenleyside Dam, each between 15 and 25 centimetres in length and weighing about 70 grams.
This local population of white sturgeon is endangered and was listed under the Species At Risk Act in 2006. There are estimated to be less than 1,100 adult sturgeon remaining in the river between the dam and the US border and there has been virtually no successful sturgeon reproduction in the river for several decades. While a multitude of human activities has negatively impacted the white sturgeon over the last 125 years, biologists are still working hard to determine the exact causes of their lack of reproductive success.
The sturgeon aquaculture (hatchery) program is just one component in the effort to save the white sturgeon. Other sturgeon-related work is being undertaken through BC Hydro’s WLR program and other partners within the Columbia Basin to identify the limiting factors for natural reproduction, and to improve habitat as well as create protected areas where the sturgeon might reproduce.
“We understand that raising and releasing juvenile sturgeon is a short-term solution but it is important if we are to save this population,” says BC Hydro’s white sturgeon coordinator James Crossman. “The juveniles we release right now will play a key role in the future recovery of the species. They also help us understand what type of habitats they use and how well they survive and grow following release. The more we learn through ongoing monitoring programs the better prepared we are to address white sturgeon recovery for years to come.”
A number of partners are making this release event possible including BC Hydro; BC Ministry of Environment; Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program; Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C.; Mainstream Aquatics; Teck; Golder Associates; Poisson Consulting; and Zellstoff Celgar Ltd. Partnership.
For more information about the UCWSRI visit uppercolumbiasturgeon.org. For more information about the release event contact the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program at 250-352-6874 or visit www.fwpc.ca
