Fraser River Discovery Centre is shining a spotlight on a living legend – at a time when deaths of white sturgeon are being investigated in B.C.
Sarah Schreier, executive director of the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society, will attend the next Fraser River Dialogue to speak about the white sturgeon. The online session is taking place on Tuesday, Oct. 18 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom.
“The white sturgeon is the largest and longest-lived species of freshwater fish in North America,” said Stephen Bruyneel, Fraser River Discovery Centre’s director of external relations and development. “However, its population in the lower Fraser River (downstream of Hell’s Gate) is a fraction of its historic levels. That’s why we wanted to have Sarah come on and talk to with us about it.”
The Fraser River Discovery Centre Society is dedicated to the recovery and protection of this prehistoric species.
“The ancient fish is at the top of the Fraser River food web, and one of the few year-round resident species of fish in the lower Fraser River,” Bruyneel said in a press release. “He also plays a prominent role at the FRDC, as ‘Sturgeon George’ occupies a spot in our upper gallery!”
Visitors to Fraser River Discovery Centre at 788 Quayside Dr. may know George, a large model of a Fraser River white sturgeon. A popular attraction for young visitors to the centre, George is looking pretty spiffy after undergoing some repairs over the summer.
In September, B.C.’s Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship urged members of the public to report any sightings of dead sturgeon. The request came after provincial scientists began investigating several unexpected white sturgeon deaths in the Lower Fraser and Nechako rivers.
“Dead adult white sturgeon are occasionally observed on the Lower Fraser River, primarily in summer. Recent deaths are higher than expected, with 11 dead adult white sturgeon found over the past week in the Nechako River,” said a Sept. 7 news release. “Provincial scientists have taken samples for laboratory testing, but they do not believe the fish died from disease, chemical exposure or because of angling or gill net fisheries. The fish show no visible signs of injury.”
According to the province, white sturgeon in the Upper Fraser and Nechako rivers are listed as endangered under the Species at Risk Act. These fish are known to reach six metres long and to live for more than 100 years.
The Fraser River Dialogue session is free of charge, but donations to Fraser River Discovery Centre are encouraged to support its work.
The Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society is an environmental stewardship and research organization that brings together a diverse community of stakeholders, including government, First Nations, commercial and recreational fishing sectors, research and education to work together and make a difference for Fraser River White Sturgeon. Its priority areas include mortality, habitat erosion, in-river fishery technology and recruitment of juvenile sturgeon.
FRDC said the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society has an award-winning, volunteer-driven monitoring and assessment program that tracks the population health of this prehistoric species and provides critical data for resource management.
For more information and to pre-register, go to www.fraserriverdiscovery.org.
