Sturgeon Recovery Plan Working
Vanderhoof, B.C. – A recovery plan to help save the endangered Nechako White Sturgeon is finding success.
It represents a partnership between the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative (NWSRI) and the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) and is being aided in its implementation by seven First Nations (Saik’uz, Nak’azdli, Tl’azt’en, Takla, Nadleh Whut’en, Stellat’en and Lheidli T’enneh).
“Yes, we’re absolutely excited about it. The results are even better than we expected,” says NWSRI recovery coordinator Lana Ciarniello.
She says the program started in 2011 as a pilot after they had heard from some of their catch monitors that some sturgeon were accidentally being caught and they just didn’t know how to release them.
“Their nets were being really damaged so the NWSRI along with the CSTC brought funding to put together a boat kit – a little emergency sturgeon release boat kit – small enough to stay in the boat at all times, containing everything needed to live release a sturgeon from a gill net.
Last year Ciarniello says it led to the live release of 12 sturgeon, adding 49 have been saved since the program first started.
“It’s absolutely significant. Especially if you consider the population estimate is at about 600. That’s a high percentage of sturgeon being live released, particularly because the gill nets tend to target the larger sturgeon.”
She says the boat kits have been such a success that they hope to keep the program going and asks anyone interested in participating in this program to contact them at info@nechakowhitesturgeon.org
Comments
I just think it is absolutely a travesty that anyone is allowed to fish with nets on a river. Its not traditional in any sense… harvest all you want if using a long pole or fishing rod and we will all have plenty for future generations, but allow this net none sense on our rivers and it won’t be long until we are talking about fish species in the past tense.
Well said Eagleone.
The truly traditional way to harvest salmon in quantity is by means of fish traps, which allow a great deal of control over which fish are taken. Fish traps were outlawed at the behest of the commercial ocean fishermen. The government promoted the use of nets as the less efficient alternative.
The fishery that is really damaging is the commercial ocean fishery, which does not permit much control over what fish are caught, resulting in considerable by catch. If we really wanted to protect the fish, we’d outlaw the ocean fishery and trap salmon only when they run.
Hear hear, billposer, and bang on Eagleone.
metalman.
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