The White sturgeon Fish

         White sturgeon (Asipenser transmontanus) within the Nechako watershed have been intensively studied over the past 20 years (Aitken 1981; Dixon 1986; Envirocon 1982,1983,1984; RL&L1995- 1999). The current condition of the sturgeon population is now fairly well understood, but as the historic distribution and population levels are unknown, the state of the relative health of the species is not clear. Prior to the last 20 years, although the sturgeon have been fished continuously, little if any study on the Nechako resident species has been conducted. What was known of the sturgeon in the region was local knowledge, held by a few interested parties. At one time in the early 1900s, an attempt was made by the then fisheries commission to record the fishing statistics of the sturgeon in the Nechako and Stuart Rivers, but this attempt failed, due to the lack of participation of most of the fishers.

         Recent studies have attempted to increase the knowledge base about this little documented fish, and in doing so, a concern has been raised regarding the future of the Nechako white sturgeon. The concern has been strong enough for the fish to be placed on the “vulnerable” list by the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada in 1991. The term “vulnerable” refers to species ‘subject to change in response to fishing pressure and habitat disturbance’ (Echols 1995). In 1995 the BC government downgraded the sturgeon’s status to ‘endangered’. Small catch numbers, and evident low numbers of juveniles in the population have sparked this concern. This project has been conducted in an effort to provide information by which the validity of these concerns may be determined. The intent was to gather information regarding the population as it was prior to changes in the hydrology of the system (impacts caused directly and indirectly by the construction of the Kenney Dam), and the increase of sturgeon fishing generated by the influx of people into the community in the early 1900s and later, in the 1960s and 1970s.

       The study was designed to examine the historic distribution of the White Sturgeon in the Nechako Watershed. A document review and community interview process formed the basis of data collection. A second phase of the project is expected to be undertaken in the spring that will include the participation of First Nations groups that utilize the watershed. Due to the short period of time allowed for this phase of the project, the main channel of the Nechako River was the focus, although references to the species in the Stuart River system were noted and included in the report. The goal of this project was to gather, organize, and summarize information. It is expected that this information will serve to assist in the development of a sturgeon recovery program in the Nechako River drainage by the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. A chronological reference list is attached as an appendix to this report.