Efforts To Save Nechako Sturgeon Receive Boost

By 250 News

The provincial government has announced $10-thousand dollars to help with the recovery efforts for white sturgeon in the Nechako River.

The largest freshwater fish in North America, white sturgeon populations on the Nechako have declined to the point where they're expected to become functionally extinct within the next 20 years.

However, a pilot program last year saw stakeholders build and operate a conservation rearing facility near Vanderhoof that successfully released nearly four-thousand juvenile sturgeon last fall.

While the pilot was a success, there is no long-term funding commitment to the program.

In announcing the $10-thousand dollar grant, Prince George-Omenica MLa John Rustad, says "The Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative will use the funds to help develop a strategic plan to address the long-term needs for sturgeon recovery in the Nechako River, including a more permanent white sturgeon recovery facility at Vanderhoof." 

"The intent is that the facility should meet the multiple interests of the participants and other stakeholders, including: conservation fish culture, habitat research and mitigation, public awareness, local economic development, building First Nations capacity and enhancing tourism in the Vanderhoof area," says Rustad.

The Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative was formed in 2000 to address this problem and is comprised of representatives of federal, provincial and local government agencies, First Nations, community groups and corporate participants, including Alcan.

Email | Print | Facebook | Twitter | Digg | Del.icio.us