Sturgeon mortality
- Thread starter Blackmax
- Start date
Big Green Machine
Well-Known Member
Because a lot of them are tagged and if they died and washed up on the beach, they would be able to track them back to when and where they were caught. There are a lot of safe handling guidelines for Fraser River Sturgeon.
I have been sturgeon fishing and thought it was kind of dumb, we caught 150lb and up but when I saw all the holes their mouth from previous catches I thought "what the heck am I doing"? Stressing out these large creatures for sport seemed wrong so I have not gone again.
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
OK I know that guide-Dean Werk by name-and a more solid knowledgeable no Bee Ess guy you could never find.
Keep in mind that Dean has been involved in Sturgeon tagging since the very beginning and has access to all kinds of data.
Yes I've caught Sturgeon that had obviously been caught before but it's also true that their physilology is quite different from that Steelhead (seen a number of young dead male Steelies that obviously had been C&R'ed on the Nitnat & didn't survive) and we've all seen Springs on the Stamp that croaked after a struggle.
My uneducated guess is that Sturgeon don't exhaust themselves when being caught-I've never seen one that didn't swim away strong after being released.
Keep in mind that Dean has been involved in Sturgeon tagging since the very beginning and has access to all kinds of data.
Yes I've caught Sturgeon that had obviously been caught before but it's also true that their physilology is quite different from that Steelhead (seen a number of young dead male Steelies that obviously had been C&R'ed on the Nitnat & didn't survive) and we've all seen Springs on the Stamp that croaked after a struggle.
My uneducated guess is that Sturgeon don't exhaust themselves when being caught-I've never seen one that didn't swim away strong after being released.
fish stalker
Active Member
this the Werk guy here. talk about sturgeon. over a 1000 pounds and almost 100 yrs old they estimate
http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/Giga...ght+Fraser+near+Chilliwack/6965415/story.html
http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/Giga...ght+Fraser+near+Chilliwack/6965415/story.html
Finished Business
Well-Known Member
Gotta appreciate a true meat fisherman. If you can't kill it, why do it?
OldBlackDog
Well-Known Member
Do some homework before you put this on a bunch of sites.
Ask the F/N who used to tie them up and then eat them alive how well they survive.
Ask the F/N who used to tie them up and then eat them alive how well they survive.
fishkiller13
Member
thats horrible
trendsetter
Active Member
Anybody have any idea what the mortality rate is for the sturgeon that get caught in the FN gill nets? My bet is close to 100%. Especially when those nets are left unattended and over night.
The catch and release only model on the Fraser is not harming the stocks in any significant way. If you have evidence otherwise I'd love to hear it.
The catch and release only model on the Fraser is not harming the stocks in any significant way. If you have evidence otherwise I'd love to hear it.
Big Green Machine
Well-Known Member
No kidding. As we learn more about this fish and where it likes to travel and hold (thank you to those on the tagging program), the more the bag fleet (commercial and FN) can learn how to avoid them in their nets by choosing areas that attract Salmon and not Sturgeon. Gill nets are so harsh, sure Sturgeon have tough skin, but you have to wonder about the durability of their gills as they cannot avoid all the nets all the time!
Finished Business
Well-Known Member
If you check the Albion test sets regularily, its not uncommon for them to net sturgeon in their drift nets. And they only have them in the water for 20 minutes! Imagine the damage of over-night Native Gill nets. If they do have DOA sturgeon in their nets, I sure hope they eat them...I've heard they are some of the best eating whitefish, rivaling halibut. Temps me to head down south where they have a slot limit between 3 and 4 feet or something to try one for myself!
StampriverSam
Member
Two stories, are they true.Years ago commercial gill netters say Sturgeon would live in the bilge for days from the water that would leak in. Digging up fields around the Vedder Canal they found live Sturgeon alive in the mud.
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