Tag Archives: Sturgeon

New sea lion wrinkle in the Willamette River threatens sturgeon

Oregon biologists attempting to save the Willamette River’s sharply declined winter steelhead run are facing a new twist in their vexing battle against fish-hungry sea lions at Willamette Falls. The river has seen an unusual influx this winter of large, sturgeon-eating Steller sea lions. Anglers from the falls to the Portland harbor report watching the carnage. “Sturgeon are on our radar,” said Shaun Clements of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “We have seen up to 10 Steller sea lions at the falls, which is more than typical.” >click to read<18:24

Tappan Zee Bridge construction may be killing sturgeon

B9318027774Z.1_20150709172325_000_GA3BA9VPB.1-0The environmental group Riverkeeper on Thursday called for a federal investigation to see if construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge is causing the deaths of endangered sturgeon in the Hudson River. The group said 100 Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon have died since the start of construction in 2012. Many of the fish, which date back to pre-historic times, were found cut in half, severed at the head or mutilated, suggesting vessel strikes,,, Read the article here 19:46

Dozens of sturgeon found dead in Columbia River

Washington Fish and Wildlife officials have received repeated reports of dead sturgeon this week on the Columbia River. On Wednesday, Paul Hoffarth, district biologist for  Fish and Wildlife, began adding up the sightings. His rough total came to 66 dead sturgeon in the Columbia River from McNary Dam to Boardman. More than 20 were reported upstream, from the Hanford Reach downstream to the McNary Dam. The exact cause of the die-off of the largest freshwater fish in North America is a mystery. Read the rest here 08:25

Saint John River sturgeon fishing season off to good start

Sturgeon fishing season began this week on the Saint John River and the early catches were good, according to one company. “We started amazingly,” said Cornel Ceapa, the owner of Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar. The company landed the biggest sturgeon it ever caught this week, a mighty creature weighing in at 300 pounds. Over the next couple of months, the company expects to catch 350 sturgeon and process everything in it from the bladders to the skin. However, the most profit is in caviar, with a 30-gram tin costing $75. Read the rest here 13:34

Sturgeon population slowly improving in lower Columbia

State biologists estimate the population of legal-size sturgeon in the lower Columbia River increased 5 percent in 2014, the first year of a total ban on retention by sport and commercial fishermen. Read the rest here  14:05

Suction Dredge Gold miners frustrated by new EPA permit

Because the permit overlaps with waters containing endangered and threatened species — bull trout, steelhead, sturgeon, sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon and various snails — the EPA coordinated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. “If a suction dredge is in the stream at a time when we have eggs in the gravel . it’s easy to imagine suction dredge mining interrupting endangered fish and probably killing eggs,” said David Mabe, Idaho director for the Fisheries Service. more@thestate  09:56

New reef created to save endangered fish native to James River

Now, the James River Association and its partners are attempting to save the sturgeon – the river’s largest fish – from extinction. Approximately 2,700 tons of rock donated by the Luck Stone Corp. were dropped from a barge provided by Coastal Designs into the river on Friday, July 26, just south of the Varina-Enon Bridge. more@progressindex

Seven major Commercial Fisheries cleared by NOAA of harming or posing a threat to the iconic sturgeon

fishnewsseu.com – A DRAFT Biological Opinion released by US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today, found that seven existing commercial fisheries in New Jersey pose “no jeopardy” for Atlantic sturgeon. This determination, formalised by a Section 7 Consultation required under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), applies to the northeast multispecies, monkfish, spiny dogfish, Atlantic bluefish, northeast skate, squid/mackerel/butterfish, and summer flounder/scup/black sea bass fisheries. continued

USGS tests potential sites in St. Clair River for new spawning reefs

Sturgeon, officially classified as threatened in Michigan, are the dinosaurs of the Great Lakes, with their dramatic armoring and slow maturation rates, growing as long as six feet in length and living as long as 150 years in the case of females, which spawn every four years. The USGS has had its eye on the Hart Light site for a while. But the agency’s models – which emphasize river flow and depth – only recently identified Courtright as a potential reef site, said Ireland. The Courtright and Hart Lights are on the Canadian side of the river, but the reefs would be constructed in U.S. waters. continued

International sympoium on Sturgeon, Nanaimo, BC, Canada July 21-25, 2013

The upcoming 7th International Symposia on Sturgeons (ISS) is taking place from July 21- 25, 2013, co-hosted by Vancouver Island University (VIU) and the City of Nanaimo, Canada. It is an opportunity for participants to address the global concerns and contribute to the science-based management of sturgeons. continued