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Why
These Animals Are
Important
To Us
White
sturgeon have been an integral part of the traditional fishery
and the history for First Nations peoples in British Columbia
. They have been used for food and in ceremonies for many
thousands of years in North America .
White
Sturgeons were harvested commercially during the late 1800’s
and early 1900s in the Fraser and Columbia Rivers . Sturgeons
were used for:
- Swim
bladders (isinglass) to clarify beer and wine
- Roe
(Caviar)
- Flesh
(Meat )
- Other
parts and isinglass (Glue)
The
Columbia River sturgeon production was second to
that of Russia for Caviar production.
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Currently,
no white sturgeon in the Fraser River watershed can be retained
by an angler. In the Nechako it is illegal to even fish for
them. The Nechako white sturgeon stocks are close to extinction,
having approximately 571 adults left. This is why the
BC Conservation Data Center describes the Nechako White Sturgeon
population as "critically imperilled". As
well, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in
Canada (COSEWIC) recently listed all white sturgeon in Canada
(BC) as “Endangered.” The Provincial Government stopped the
commercial harvest of this fish in the Fraser long ago and
the recreational harvest in 1994.
White
Sturgeon populations have adapted, to the specific characteristics
of their environment, over thousands of years. Maintaining
individual fish populations and their unique genetic characteristics
is very important.
Humans
have gained an appreciation and respect for this fish species.
We realize that we have a responsibility to ensure that our
activities don’t result in their demise, so they can be enjoyed
by future generations. The ability to maintain biodiversity,
or the species and habitats that have adapted to the land
base we occupy and the waterways we utilize, is an indicator
of the health of the environment and the sustainability of
our activities.
What
Can I Do?
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