The public are invited to attend the annual Juvenile White Sturgeon Release at Shelter Bay Provincial Park on Tuesday, May 7, 2019.
Drop in anytime to this free, family event between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and release your very own juvenile sturgeon.
The release provides an opportunity to learn more about these very unique fish and give the endangered White Sturgeon of the Columbia River a helping hand. The event is organized by the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program with support from BC Hydro, Revelstoke Rod and Gun Club, and the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.
This year between 600 and 650 juvenile White Sturgeon, up to three years of age and weighing nearly 400 grams each on average, will be released into Arrow Lakes Reservoir.
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Releasing older, larger juveniles like this increases their chances of survival. The population of sturgeon in Arrow Lakes Reservoir is estimated at approximately 50 adults and spawning is known to occur near Revelstoke.
Though releases of hatchery raised sturgeon into the Arrow Lakes have been occurring since 2007, very few individuals have been recaptured as a part of ongoing monitoring programs.
It will take time to be able to tell whether recovery efforts in Arrow Lakes Reservoir are making a difference and, in an area as large as Arrow Lakes Reservoir, finding and capturing juvenile sturgeon is extremely difficult. More than 60,000 juveniles have been released since 2007, and monitoring will continue in order to determine survival rates.
For more information visit fwcp.ca or call the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program at 250-352-1300. The program is a partnership between BC Hydro, the Province of B.C., Fisheries and Oceans Canada, First Nations and Public Stakeholders to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by BC Hydro dams.
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