It’s the annual Juvenile White Sturgeon release at Shelter Bay Provincial on Tuesday, May 3. The public are invited to this free event anytime between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to release their very own sturgeon!
The release provides an opportunity to learn more about these very unique fish, and give the endangered White Sturgeon of the Columbia a helping hand — quite literally. It is organized by the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP) with support from BC Hydro, Revelstoke Rod and Gun Club, and the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.
A total of 1,300 juvenile White Sturgeon, some nearly two years of age will be released into Arrow Lakes Reservoir this year. About half of those will be released by school students and the public on May 3.
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 small white sturgeon is extremely difficult. More than 40,000 juveniles have been released since 2007, and monitoring will continue in order to determine survival rates.
The population of sturgeon in Arrow Lakes Reservoir is estimated at roughly 50 adults and are known to spawn near Revelstoke.
For more information visit fwpc.ca or call the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program at 250-352-1300. The FWCP 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 impacted by BC Hydro dams.