Juvenile Sturgeon Release - May 2016

Objectives

• To provide an opportunity for students from School District 91 (Nechako watershed) to participate hands-on in the recovery of Nechako white sturgeon.
• To have a public awareness opportunity. 

The Event

The Sturgeon Release Event was held on May 13, 2016 at Riverside Park in Vanderhoof. The NWSRI, along with Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, School District 91 and the District of Vanderhoof, hosted the event. Students came from schools around School District 91, including public, private, First Nations, and home-school. 

• 676 sturgeon were released at the May 13 event.
• 600 plus students attended the event from Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake, Fort St. James, Takla, Yekooche, the Southside, Prince George, and Burns Lake. 

At the event, students name and release a PIT (passive integrated transponder) tagged juvenile sturgeon that were spawned at the Nechako White Sturgeon Conservation Centre (NWSCC) the spring previous (2015). Each student gets a picture with their sturgeon before it’s released into the Nechako River. After the release component of the event, teachers lead their students around to a number of educational booths that cover topics including sturgeon biology, how to track sturgeon, the Boat Kit Program, the grades 4-7 Healthy Watersheds for Sturgeon Schools program, as well as interactive displays such as the Wheel of Life, and the research boats on display. Participants get a free hot dog lunch and a tour at the NWSCC as well.

The data collected from the event is added to the “Where is My Fish” database. Be sure to check on the status of your fish!!

 

Feedback from the students and teachers was very positive and appreciative of the opportunity to attend and participate in the event.