Some 150 juvenile white sturgeon will be released into the Arrow Lakes in a few weeks as part of an annual release the public is invited to watch and take part in.
“The release provides an opportunity to learn more about these unique fish and give the endangered white sturgeon of the Columbia River a helping hand,” the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program says in a press release.
The event is organized by the FWCP alongside the Revelstoke Rod and Gun Club, BC Hydro, and the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.
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Of those 150 fish, 70 are two years of age weighing on average 600g each, and 80 are one-year-olds weighing 480g.
Since 2007, more than 60,000 juveniles have been released in order to monitor the growth and survival rates of the fish.
The FWCP says it will take time to be able to tell whether recovery efforts are making a difference in an area as large as Arrow Lakes Reservoir as finding and capturing juvenile sturgeon in the area is difficult.
The population of sturgeon in the Arrow Lakes Reservoir is approximately 50 adults. Spawning is known to occur near Revelstoke.
The event will take place at Shelter Bay Provincial Park on May 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information, visit fwcp.ca/events.
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