Latest news with #sturgeon
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Massive sturgeon fish captured near Lillooet
Massive sturgeon fish captured near Lillooet Some anglers are celebrating a record-breaking catch in the Fraser River near Lillooet this week.
CBC
10-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Fishers in Lillooet, B.C., hook massive 700-pound sturgeon in Fraser River
Fishers in Lillooet, B.C., hook massive 700-pound sturgeon in Fraser River News Duration 1:12 A group of fishermen in B.C.'s Interior are still raving about what they reeled in recently. They were on the Fraser River near Lillooet on Monday, when one of their hooks caught a three-metre-long white sturgeon weighing more than 700 pounds.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘Estimated to be over 120 years old': Massive sturgeon caught in B.C.'s Fraser River
River Monster Adventures says a group fishing just south of Lillooet on Monday was able to reel in a massive sturgeon that had become something of a legend among the company's team. (River Monster Adventures) A Chilliwack-based fishing charter company that specializes in Fraser River sturgeon has landed the largest fish in its history. River Monster Adventures says a group fishing just south of Lillooet on Monday was able to reel in a massive sturgeon that had become something of a legend among the company's team. The nearly 3.1-metre (10′2″) fish is known as 'Ghost,' because it has 'ghosted' the company's anglers for more than a decade. 'Over the years, we believe we've caught glimpses of him, either on our sonar or possibly breaching, but actual sightings have been extremely rare,' said Jen Shareski, of River Monster Adventures, in an email to CTV News. 'As far as we know, no one else has ever caught Ghost before this.' The crew fishing that day included two repeat clients, a deckhand and a captain, who spent more than an hour reeling in the fish with 'a total team effort,' Shareski said. River Monster Adventures (River Monster Adventures) 'Ghost is easily identified by his curled dorsal fins, a rare feature that marks him as a very old fish, estimated to be over 120 years old,' she said. Despite its advanced age, the fish did not have a tag, which is one of the reasons River Monster Adventures suspects it has never been caught before. 'We are strictly catch and release, and we're proud to be part of the sturgeon conservation tagging program,' Shareski said. 'Before releasing Ghost back into the river, we tagged him and recorded all the relevant data to support ongoing conservation efforts.' According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, white sturgeon are the largest freshwater fish in Canada, and they've existed relatively unchanged for millions of years. In a critical state of decline in some parts of B.C., the bottom-feeding fish is among the wildlife protected under the Species at Risk Act. Species living in the Nechako River, Upper Columbia River, Upper Fraser River and Upper Kootenay River are all protected by the federal act. The Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society says white sturgeon can live well over 150 years, and can grow up to six metres in length.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Wildlife officials crack down on unexpected black market operating in Bay Area: 'High demand'
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials discovered and shut down caviar traffickers as part of a broader enforcement effort against wildlife poaching and smuggling, according to SFGate. Officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have recently ramped up enforcement efforts against the illegal poaching of sturgeon and salmon along the Sacramento River. Under the California Endangered Species Act, both fish species are currently under consideration to be designated as "threatened." Fish populations are so stressed that salmon fishing on the Sacramento River has been off limits since 2023, while sturgeon fishing is limited to catch-and-release only. However, people still want caviar, and sturgeon caviar, in particular, can fetch quite a price. SFGate reported that the department put out a news release stating there is "high demand and profitability of illegal caviar trafficking." As part of their enforcement efforts, wildlife officials stopped cars and conducted surveillance, which led to the capture of two groups possessing sturgeon. Meanwhile, a probe into the trafficking of the Dungeness crab led to the uncovering of a salmon poaching ring. The salmon poachers were harvesting and processing black market salmon roe, of which investigators seized over 150 pounds. Animal poaching and trafficking can lead to the endangerment or extinction of species, especially if officials have already listed those species as threatened. If poachers and traffickers wipe a species out entirely, it disrupts local ecosystems, resulting in a chain reaction of widespread damage. Trafficking also turns species into invasive ones when smugglers relocate them to new regions across borders. Invasive species bring a host of problems, including threatening ecosystems by wiping out native species and reducing food security in areas that rely on fishing or using up available resources, resulting in native species losing access. Invasive species can destroy ecological balance by harming water quality, damaging waterways, or destroying water infrastructure. This type of damage can also lead to increased costs of water treatment and repairs, which may be paid for by taxpayers. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is likely to continue efforts to curb fish poaching in the area. As for the poachers they have already discovered, officials have issued several citations, though charges are still pending in some cases, which would result in further consequences. In the sturgeon poaching instances, SFGate reported that officers charged two people with "illegally capturing 'an endangered or threatened' species." Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely Depends on the animal No way Just let people do it for free Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Forbes
09-06-2025
- Forbes
Fishing For Dinosaurs: A Quest For Sturgeon
Hook into a 250-pound fish whose ancestors date back 100 million years and you begin to wonder if you're reeling a dinosaur through a wormhole--as if you're about to reveal a beast that doesn't belong in our epoch. Such are first impressions when sturgeon fishing on Idaho's Snake River. After a 30-minute tug of war, finally seeing the bony plates of the prehistoric fish emerge from the murky depths of the Snake feels like uncovering the last surviving creature to slither out of the primordial ooze shortly after the Earth cooled. The white sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in North America, one of eight species of sturgeon that live in many lakes, rivers and estuaries across our continent. One of the largest ever recorded was caught in the Fraser River of British Columbia and stretched nearly 15 feet and weighed more than 1,500 pounds. Such a fish was undoubtedly more than a century old. Unconfirmed reports of fish up to 20 feet in length and weighing more than a ton have echoed over the generations as well, whispered to win bar bets in pubs from Pocatello to Portland. Today, fish from 6-8 feet in length are the norm with only a rare few stretching past 10 feet. For guide Tim Parrish, introducing anglers from across the country to these Cretaceous leftovers is a labor of love. When anglers get their first glimpse of the massive scaleless, shark-like fish, they are checking the box on one of America's bucket list fishing experiences—that and getting an ultimate core workout with each fight. For Parrish, a personal passion for fishing Idaho's smallmouth and sturgeon was inspiration enough to abandon his career as a pipefitter and embark on his radical sabbatical of guiding for these prized fish. He hasn't looked back. Parrish takes corporate and individual clients, baptizing them in all things sturgeon. He speaks of the fish in reverent tones, ever aware of the need to protect the species and the waters in which they live. After surviving all manner of Earth's upheavals for so many millions of years, Parrish is adamant that the fish will not disappear on his watch. While years of overfishing for the sturgeon's prized meat and roe (caviar) took its toll on the species, modern efforts to monitor populations and regulate water levels of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, have helped stabilize white sturgeon populations in the region. That, and a strict catch-and-release policy on the Snake have given the fish sorely needed relief. Sturgeon are nothing if not survivors, however. Build dams that cut them off from their sea-run life cycle and they still manage to adapt and persevere. You get the sense that they will still be here long after man has plundered his way to oblivion, homo sapiens being a mere blip in the history of sturgeon. I join Parrish along with seasoned angler Steve Lamboy as we head to Parrish's favorite sturgeon lairs in search of one of the leviathans. Step onto Parrish's boat and he begins to narrate every facet of the experience, giving us the how's and why's behind all that he is doing from selecting a fishing location to rigging his stout rods. It's just the kind of immersive tutorial most first-time sturgeon fisherman relish. After affixing a piece of crappie—his favorite sturgeon bait—to the hooks of our pool cue sized rods, we chuck the baits overboard and wait for the party invitations to be answered. It isn't long before one of the rods begins to twitch and, in a moment, makes the 45-degree bend of a pole being tortured by a slightly irritated—and large--fish. It's my sign to snatch the rod from the holder and begin the fight of my freshwater angling life. It's a straightforward battle of brute force, no finesse necessary. Each time you hook one of these fish, the first thoughts that enter your mind are how big and how long will the fight last? Followed by, do I have enough gas in the tank? Some 20 minutes later, an 8-foot beast finally rises to the surface, revealing the heavyweight at the end of the line. Such a fish is likely between 60 and 70 years old, says Parrish. As we release it back to the waters of the Snake, it seems to give Parrish a look of, you again? Each of the 10 sturgeon we caught with Parrish in our two-day excursion brought its own unique fighting character and memories. Some jumped tarpon-like while others took us on sleigh rides of sorts, heading to the depths upriver in an attempt to free themselves from the tether of our lines and the modern world. Catch one of these true river monsters, however, and it's the angler—as much as the fish—that is hooked.
