By Adam Berls

sturgeon release

Annual sturgeon release event takes place in Vanderhoof

Jun 7, 2024 | 2:18 PM

VANDERHOOF — School children from all over School District 91 headed down to Riverside Park in Vanderhoof on Friday for the annual juvenile sturgeon release event, put on by the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative (NWSRI).

Students each released a salmon fry, care of the Spruce City Wildlife Association, and as a collective, release 63 2-year old juvenile Nechako white sturgeon into the Nechako River.

The White Sturgeon is only found in two major rivers west of the Rocky Mountains including the Nechako watershed. Sturgeon in the Nechako reach spawning age very late, around 20-25 years of age for males, and as late as 40 years for females. Once mature, females spawn more than once, but only every 3 to 10 years.

Multiple different organizations had booths set up at the event to education the kids not only about the white sturgeon, but about other areas related to conservation. An important conversation for students to be getting involved in from an early age. Wayne Salewski, NWSRI Community Working Group Chair, says that the white sturgeon is in dire straits and that there is only around 560 adult white sturgeon left in the watershed.

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In 2001, the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative’s Community Working Group (CWG) was created. The CWG is composed of individuals that represent First Nations, non-government environmental organizations, industry, local and regional governments, and affected public. The group’s mission is to provide input from river stakeholders to the broader NWSRI, and to act first and foremost as a public advocate for Nechako white sturgeon and the Recovery Initiative. The CWG focuses on increasing the public’s awareness and knowledge about the recovery process, as well as the ecological problems facing the Nechako white sturgeon.

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X: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com