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[gofishing]

In 2003, the white sturgeon was designated as an endangered species (see www.cosewic.gc.ca)

In 2006, four of the six sturgeon areas within British Columbia, (the Kootenay, the Columbia, the Nechako, and the Upper Fraser), were listed under the federal Species at Risk Act, also known as SARA (see www.sararegistry.gc.ca). Fishing for sturgeon in these areas is no longer permitted.

The Middle-Fraser River and Lower-Fraser River are the only two areas that were not listed under SARA and while a managed catch-and-release fishing is allowed within those areas the sturgeon are still considered to be at risk due to a number of circumstances.

At the last White Sturgeon Community Working Group meeting, a decision was made to review the present white sturgeon best handling practices document, Releasing Sturgeon The Gentle Way. The next meeting will take place mid to late April 2011. This is the first step in preparing for the SARA review to come in 2012.

As the CWG member representing the recreational sport angling community at large, my mandate is to initiate input and ideas about the current best handling practices document, discuss those ideas fully to reach a consensus for the recreational segment, and then present those ideas with the other members of the CWG.

You may not agree with the restriction or you may want more clarification on exactly what the restriction should be. Now is your chance to provide your feedback. Let’s make sure that we can all support the document that we end up with.

In order to assist in logging and reviewing all of the input and the ideas shared, please email me your thoughts to:

sturgeonfishing@shaw.ca


Thank you in advance for your assistance,


Stewart Kemle (GOFISHING)

[gofishing]

Here is the current document for your review and discussion .....



Releasing White Sturgeon The Gentle Way


The majority of white sturgeon populations in British Columbia are listed under the federal Species at Risk Act and are not open to angling. Since populations in the Lower and Middle Fraser River are relatively healthy, they are able to support exciting world class fisheries. However, these populations are still vulnerable to impacts from angling, habitat destruction, pollution and salmon net fisheries, and they are still provincially and nationally designated as endangered. In addition to being endangered, white sturgeon mature after 17 to 20 years and can live for more than 100 years, so impacts or injuries can be long lasting. As such, all sturgeon angling in the province is catch and release only, and will be more strictly managed in the future.

Indications are that catch and release sturgeon angling can be a low impact activity. However, to minimize harm to fish, extra care and attention must be taken to ensure their health and survival, and to maintain the treasured fishery. Anglers must abide by the following capture and handling practices.

1. Angling tackle should be heavy enough to handle these potential large fish.  Use heavy rods and reels, and at least 100 lb. manufacture rated test line. Play and release fish as rapidly as possible. A fish played for too long may not recover.

2. Only barbless hooks are permitted while sturgeon angling. Well embedded hooks can be removed with long needle-nose pliers, or a hook remover. Grab the bend of the hook and twist, and the hook will dislodge. Be quick, but gentle. A fish that is deeply hooked, hooked on or near the gills, or bleeding profusely has a much lower chance of survival once released. You can improve its chances by cutting the leader and releasing the fish with the hook left in. The line will rot and the hook will eventually drop out.

3. Leave the fish in the water wherever possible.
A fish suffocates when it’s out of the water, and is at risk of internal injuries due to its own weight, especially if it is large (greater than 1.5 m in length). Ropes, tailers, nooses or any other device are not used on any part of any fish to hold or land the fish.

4. Land larger fish in shallow water near the shore.
Do not drag any fish out of the water onto the shore. Do not land a large fish at the boat and then tow it by the tail to shore. Towing a fish to shore is very damaging to the fish and can lessen its’ chances of survival or even kill it. If you land a large fish at the boat, then release it at the boat. Smaller fish can be landed on the boat by lifting and cradling it with gloved hands underneath and behind the front fins and just forward of the tail. It should be placed into a wetted sling. A fish should never be pulled into a boat by using a rope or by its’ gill plates. mouth, or pectoral fins. Use as many people to cradle the fish as is necessary to not hurt it.

5. If you handle a fish, then do so with care.
Keep your fingers away from the gills and out of the gill plates, and don’t squeeze of hug it. If you want photographs then leave larger fish in the water, smaller fish should be cradled. Have your camera ready and be quick so the fish is only briefly disturbed. Take the time to hold the fish in the water to recover. Point the fish upstream into the current while reviving it, and when the fish begins to struggle and swim normally, let it go.

Take Care and be gentle
to help maintain this amazing fishery & allow these gentle giants of the Fraser to live another day.

[brownmancheng]

These sound like some very easy guidelines for basic care of the fish

[gofishing]

Here are some issues that hopefully will promote some discussion about this important document .....
 
 
1) Should something be included (maybe Section 2) regarding what to do regarding a foul hooked fish?
 
2) In Secton 4 it refers to a "wetted sling" in that every sturgeon fisher should go out and purchase a sling and have it on board. Is this something every person fishing for sturgeon should have ......... or only those tagging sturgeon?
 
3) In Section 4 clarify "Do not land a large fish at the boat and then tow it by the tail to shore. Towing a fish to shore is very damaging ........". Certainly towing a fish by the tail backwards to shore is very damaging to the fish ....... but does this also include slowly leading a large fish just a short distance toward shore?
 
4)  One more concern is that the document seems to imply in Section 4 that handling a sturgeon by "crabbing it by the mouth" is very harmful.  If we are to admit this then we certainly must be hurting it when we stick a 9/0 hook in it's mouth and play it for 1 hour.  Historically, crabbing a fish by the mouth to remove the hook or to tag it has been the norm. 
 
There are possibly more concerns if you review the document closely ........... these are just some main concerns ........
 
                         LET'S CHAT 

[brownmancheng]

Well on item 3 where they say no towing the fish to shore, I think they are trying to avoid the long tow backwards. As they also state in another item to land larger fish in shallow water which unless thats where you started it would be necessary. In essence that is fishing, I am not experienced on the white sturgeon fishery but do want to see them properly protected so I can have the opportunity in the future so i am quite interested. Any expert opinions out there?

[buckjr]

A few good points here. These are my opinions based on 10 plus years of guiding/ fishing for sturgeon on the Fraser. A feel a sling should be mandatory for all anglers sturgeon fishing if planning on removing the fish from the water and bringing it into the boat. All too many times we see fish dropping from peoples hands in attempts to take pictures, miss handling of the fish in the boat, sitting on the bottom of the boat or percariously
resting on the dog house. A quick search of the internet or you tube yields far too many poor practices. A sling makes the job much easier and efficent while keeping the fish safe and comfortable while handling or taking a quick picture.

Do not use a rope on a fish period!! At no time should a rope be appied to a fish to tow (obviously) even if a short distance. Gone are the days where applying a rope at the beach to deal with fish should be done. Is a bit more difficult to manage yes, however it is much safer for the fish.

Handling the fish by the mouth should be omitted from the document for the reasons you have explained. You just caught the fish by the mouth with a large hook. How can your hands be damaging or hurting the fish??? Using the fish's mouth is the safest and easiest way to handle and manouver the fish while in the water. Not only safe for the fish but the fisherman as well.

[gofishing]

Thanks for you good comments buckjr, I have taken note of them ............

Anyone else??  There have to be more people here that fish for sturgeon either from a boat or from shore .......

[Rodney]

Stewart, I'll add a note of this into our news section this week so you can get more feedbacks from readers who don't necessarily come into the forum when visiting this website.

[gofishing]

Thank you Rod ....... that would be awesome!!

[gofishing]

280 views and hardly any input .......

This is your chance to have your views heard ...... a chance you CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE .......

How do you feel ....  (??)

Whether you fish from a boat of from shore ......... what are you thoughts ........... best practices ................. ??


Stu

[243Pete]

How about when taking photos of very large fish for anglers to not lift the fish up? I've seen some photos of people lifting large fish out of the water and my concern would be the strain that is placing on the fishes internal organs, the reason I say this is cause of a friend that works at the Vancouver Aquarium talking about how beached whales die from their own weight crushing their lungs and other organs.

But good read so far! 

[roeman]

A sling for anyone bringing a sturgeon into the boat is the BEST idea I have heard in a long time.
I really don't get the logic about no rope around the tail while the fish is in a foot of water on shore to get the hook out and take a couple of pics.  In the fall, it is not uncommon to hook a fish that has a mouth that has been pricked with as many as 8 hooks, how can a rope around the tail do any damage.
Closing the river December thru February would also be a good idea, very little food and cold water.  Not sure, but the fish may need a break. 

[wizard]

I've done my share of sturgeon fishing over the last 5 years or so.  Seen alot of good fisherman handling fish the way they need to be handled..but also alot of sturgeon fisherman who I think are not putting fishes well being first.

-I've caught many fish over 7 feet long, never had I ever needed to use a rope around the tail.  It's completely unnecessary.  Frankly, I don't know why people feel they need it....These fish are remarkably calm handled correctly once in shallow water.  If need be, keep the fish hooked, get in the water, get the fish into position for a few quick pics, and let her go.  I think people use ropes mainly for their own good, rather then the fishes.

-Dragging large fish into the boat from the side.  Again, I've never had to drag a large fish into the boat.  If I wanted to take a pic from the boat, it will either be a small one, or if it's bigger I will slowly drive to shore with fish still hooked. I'd be worried about damaging the fishes scoots against the side of the boat. Plus, all the weight of the fishes internal organs are being displaced.

-Have your camera ready before you haul in the fish/keeping it out of water.   
I often put the stopwatch on people to see how long they're keeping the fish out of water (I do this in lakes too, mostly out of curiosity)  You'd be amazed sometimes at how long some fisherman are actually keping the fish out of water for.  3-4 minutes is not totally uncommon.  This is unacceptable.  Have your camera ready BEFORE you bring the fish in, take a second to admire, unhook and picture.  This does not need to take that long. 
Personally, no matter what type of fish I catch wether it's a sturgeon, trout, steely, whatever, I always try to keep the fish out of water no longer then what I could hold my breathe under water for.  20 seconds max...?  Fish are no different. Yes I understand sturgeon are tough, resilient fish, but you just played it out to exhaustion in order to bring to hand, then it's out of water for a long period of time, how is this fish sufficiently supposed to recover. 

Thanks for starting this thread, discussion regarding such remarkable fish is important.

Anyways, those a re just a few things to bare in mind. Like I said, most fisherman are pretty good about handling techniques, others need to put the fishes welfare ahead of their excitement and whatnot.

[buckjr]

The optics of a rope around a fish tale with one or more anglers pulling on it while the fish is thrashing is not very good. Can the fish handle this??? Yes. It's not going to harm the fish too much, we know this. However, it does remove protective slime and all too many times people are using much too thin a rope, which can cause issues. It's much easier when trying to manage a fishery of this nature to just say NO USE OF ROPES!. Keep it simple!

In respect to closing the river through the winter..... definitely a bad idea!!! A closure of this nature would only create a precedence for future closures. Why couldn't it be argued that the river should be closed in the spring when the fish are spawing, or closed during the fall when the fish are easily caught and feeding heavily. It would be a poor decision and a bad precedence to start. We have a 12 month a year fishery, lets keep it that way! Lets manage and educate properly to keep it open and the fish safe. If anything, the colder water temperatures and lower metabolism of the fish in the winter would make it easier for the fish to recover after being caught.

We have to remember that many of the people making critical decisions for this fishery are not fisherman and often have little knowledge of the resource and the realities of what the fish can and can't handle. Keeping things simple, safe for the fish and not a pain for the fishermen would be best suited for all parties.

[salmonlander]

Any self imposed closure is a very bad idea. Just don't go Sturgeon fishing in the known wintering over areas. I fully agree with you Buckjr. There are enough BS regs shoved down our throats without asking for more.