Sturgeon Survival

[GutshotApe]

This article appears in today's Eugene newspaper:

Sturgeon survival the goal as departments consider changes

By Mike Stahlberg
The Register-Guard

If "Jurassic Park" had included a fishing adventure, it probably would have featured the white sturgeon.

Virtually unchanged from the days of the dinosaur, the sturgeon is the most resilient fish in the Pacific Northwest. Shoot, they even look invincible in their bony armor.

But new research suggests these big denizens of the deep may not be as tough as we once thought.

Which is why the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife are considering reducing anglers' opportunity to catch and release "oversize" sturgeon that congregate to spawn in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam.

A public meeting was held Wednesday night in Clackamas, and the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will idiscuss the matter Friday in Salem.

Prompting the review is research that suggests mortality among adult sturgeon is increasing - 38 carcasses were found in 2003, compared to 20 in an average year.

Of the dead sturgeon, 71 percent "either had hooks in them or hook scars," according to Pat Frazier, Columbia River program manager for the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.

"That's pretty good evidence of at least a high handling rate with some of these fish," Frazier said. "It's a cause for conern for us as managerment agencies."

In addition, Oregon State University researchers report that 36 percent of the oversized fish they examined in the sport fishery had "multiple" hooking scars, and 13 percent had fishing leader protruding from their anal vents.

Even more worrisome its the fact that 16 percent of the females checked had reabsorbed their eggs rather than spawn.

Is egg absorption the result of stress and exhaustion associated with threashing around on the end of a fishing line?

Researchers can't say for certain. But they do know blood taken from sport-caught sturgeon shows a direct relation between the length of time a sturgeon is fought and the amount of a stress-related chemical called cortisol found in its blood.

Sturgeon don't begin to spawn until they reach 5 feet in length, at about age 20 (white sturgeon can live to be 100 years old). But the average female reproduces only every third to fifth year, Frazier said.

OSU researchers estimate that only about 6 percent of the 2,000 mature sturgeon in the spawning area each spring are "ripe" females. Thus, the entire Columbia River sturgeon population is produced by 120 or so spawners per year.

Stturgeon anglers are allowed to keep only those fish that measure between 42 and 60 inches long. The use of a "maximum" size is intended to protect those fish that survive long enough to become part of the brood stock.

Because sturgeon were believed to be so tough, however, regulators have taken a liberal approach to "catch and release" angling. Besides, until about 12 years ago, very few anglers targeted oversized sturgeon.

Starting about 1992, however, guides began promoting the chance to catch a 6- or 8-foot-long fish weighing up to 300 pounds - even if it did have to be released. "The poor man's tarpon," they called them. And fishing pressure skyrocketed.

Now it's estimated 2,800 to 5,300 oversized sturgeon are caught and released annually in the Gorge during the summer months. The only respite affored the sturgeon is that boat angling is not allowed May 1 through July 15 in waters between Beacon Rock and Bonneville Dam.

Washington biologists propose adding five miles to the spawning season sanctuary, by moving the angling "deadline" from Beacon Rock down to the eastern tip of Skamania Island. In addition, they want to extend the closure period by two weeks, through July 31.

They estimate those changes would reduce the "handle" of spawning-age sturgeon in that area by about 60 percent.

It's probably a good idea, lest we run the risk of sturgeon going the way of the dinosaur.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">The Oregon F&W Commission will discuss the issue at tomorrow's meeting...and will take action (or not) at the February meeting.

[ 01-08-2004, 07:51 AM: Message edited by: GutshotApe ]

[Pete]

I think he jumped the gun a little ... the meeting in Clackamas on Wednesday night was cancelled.

[GutshotApe]

Yeah...I knew that Pete. The R-G delivery girl gets here about 4:30AM which means the paper was probably printed last night starting around 9PM or so?...which means Mike's completed article was probably submitted a few hours before then...and apparently he didn't find out about the cancellation in time?

[CATCH AND EAT]

Pretty typical of the media to pull a dumb stunt like this.

[Pete]

I have enjoyed fishing for oversize in the Gorge. Extending the closure to protect them would cut back a fishery I've enjoyed, but if protecting the parent-stock will stop a decline in the numbers I think I can support the change. I know at least one business that won't be happy with an extended deadline. It isn't clear to me from the article if the change in the deadline would be just for boats or if the bank anglers would also be kept out of the sanctuary. Are others willing to accept the proposed change to help ensure the longevity of this fishery?

[skookummark]

OSU researchers estimate that only about 6 percent of the 2,000 mature sturgeon in the spawning area each spring are "ripe" females. Thus, the entire Columbia River sturgeon population is produced by 120 or so spawners per year.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Based on the limited number of females that support this fishery I would think that extending the closure and moving the deadline would be a good thing for everyone.

[cosmo]

When it comes down to it--they know very little about how many of these fish there are, where they all live, and how many new spawners they are recruiting every year.

46 dead fish means nothing if you're recruiting 500, 1,000, or 5,000 new ones. If your not recruiting new spawners, you have a problem with your slot limit and quotas, not the oversized fishery.

Another fishery sportsman will give up, without the facts, in a continueing effort to do the right thing. Commendable attitude for sure, but we're hugging ourselves off the water all over.

[Born to be Wild]

Of the dead sturgeon, 71 percent "either had hooks in them or hook scars," according to Pat Frazier, Columbia River program manager for the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.

In addition, Oregon State University researchers report that 36 percent of the oversized fish they examined in the sport fishery had "multiple" hooking scars, and 13 percent had fishing leader protruding from their anal vents.

Starting about 1992, however, guides began promoting the chance to catch a 6- or 8-foot-long fish weighing up to 300 pounds - even if it did have to be released. "The poor man's tarpon," they called them. And fishing pressure skyrocketed.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Poor mans Tarpon!
Sad, really sad. :depressed:

I know we all differ in opinions on this but I just expressed my opinion on C&R a couple times in the last couple days on the "Power of the Internet" thread.

Pete you're a real cool dude but I can't understand your desire to go out and hook and stress out an oversize sturgeon.
I would not want to even hook one by accident.
I know, too each their own.

And to the guides like their charter boat cousins, its just another example of the negative effects of over exploitation.
Pretty ugly to me.

Dan

PS&gt; Now if we could just curtail all the sturgeon outlaws that are keeping all those undersize sturgeon and legal sized sturgeon that aren't tagged.
Maybe we could get a season back.

[ 01-08-2004, 03:19 PM: Message edited by: Born to be Wild ]

[fishitis]

Pete, I support the extended closure zone for much the same reasons as you. Last year I tried the oversize fishery for the first time and two things really struck me:
1) This is a lot of fun.
2) There sure were a lot of people doing it.
The science is limited and more research needs to be done. However, the science to date suggests an impact. With the limited reproduction and the slow growth of these fish, determining when we have impacted the population may be too late. To me, it's not worth the risk. There's too many other great fisheries that I can do instead to risk this one.

[greenbuttskunk]

I've had my fun and day in the sun regarding big gators. I'm all for whatever protection we can give the spawners especially. I do know that they are great sport and guides also count on oversize for their livelihood, so I feel for them economically.
I for one am just going to do my part to help the stock in a better way than I have in the past.
Meaning just a few keepers, and I'll leave oversize to the others who have not enjoyed the battle yet. I would love to be able to see my boy grow up and enjoy some sturgeon fishing with his kids and dad someday.