Panel data provided by Madison's Canadian Lumber Reporter.

Nechako Sturgeon May Net a Sliver of Funding

By Elaine Macdonald

B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner and Rick Hansen Chair and Founder of the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society, show a young Sturgeon caught , tagged, and subsequently released on the Fraser this week


Although no funding was specifically directed to the white sturgeon on the Nechako River, the province has just handed over $150,000.00 to the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.

The money is supposed to support recovery projects for the Fraser River white sturgeon, and, according to the news release "A portion of the Living Rivers grant will also be used to extend leadership, planning, and stock recovery initiatives across all six stocks of white sturgeon in B.C. through the establishment of a provincewide white sturgeon recovery process and strategy." Hopefully that means at least some of the grant will go towards helping the Nechako River sturgeon.

The Nechako sturgeon numbers have been falling at an alarming rate. In 1994, it was estimated that unless something was done, the white sturgeon of the Nechako would be extinct within 20 years.

One of the problems identified on the Nechako is that the white sturgeon here are older, (studies indicate most are in the 30 year age range) which suggests either the fish are not reproducing at all, or the juveniles are not surviving.

A hatchery program has been started in an effort to try and reverse the trend.


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