White Sturgeon

Average size: Up to 6 metres long (19.69 ft), Up to 600 kg (1,320 lbs)

The largest sturgeon species in North America, and the largest freshwater fish species in North America!

What they look like: The overall appearance of a white sturgeon is quite prehistoric, which makes sense since sturgeon have remained virtually unchanged since they first appeared in the fossil record 175 million years ago.

They have a long, cylindrical body, usually ranging in colour from greenish grey on the back side to light grey or white on the belly. It is covered with large armour-like scutes (bony plates) rather than scales like other fishes. The nose, or rostrum, of they white sturgeon is flattened; on the underside of the rostrum just in front of the mouth are four barbels or fleshy whisker-like projections that are used as sensory organs to detect food in the murky water at the bottom of a river.

Where they live: White sturgeon live in four major river systems in B.C. including the Fraser, Nechako, Columbia and Kootenay rivers.

Life Cycle:
One trait that makes the white sturgeon so unusual is its incredibly long lifespan. Some individuals are over 100 years old!

What they eat:
Although sturgeon have poor eyesight, they use their highly sensitive barbels to locate prey. Rather than using teeth, sturgeon have a extendible mouth which they can use like a vacuum cleaner to suck up prey.

Small sturgeon feed on chironomids, as well as other insect larvae, molluscs and other small invertebrates. Larger sturgeon switch to a fish-based diet although chironomids can still make up a significant part of their diet. White sturgeon in the Fraser are known to follow sockeye runs and also feed on eulachon, sculpins and stickleback.

Find detailed information in the Ministry of Environment's Fish Facts Factsheets: > MORE INFO

Recreation
There are six populations of white sturgeon in British Columbia. Of these, four are listed under the federal government's Species at Risk Act and fishing these populations is not permitted. The remaining two populations of white sturgeon, on the Middle- and Lower-Fraser River have an established catch-and-release fishery.

The catch-and-release fisheries on the Fraser River and its tributaries are only permitted downstream of the mouth of the Williams Lake River.

Careful! You must take extra care when releasing white sturgeon and should be familiar with the best-handling practices before you go out fishing. You can download or print best practices info from: > MORE INFO

Conservation
Unfortunately, all white sturgeon populations have experienced a serious decline in recent years, causing the province to place them on the provincial "red" list. Further evidence strongly indicates that three of these populations -- the Nechako, Columbia and Kootenay -- face a high risk of extinction within the next generation. Recovery initiatives are underway for each of these populations. All three recovery initiatives call for conservation fish culture as a tool to aid in the preservation of genetic material and rebuilding of the populations.

For more information on the recovery initiatives:

Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC
Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative
Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society