Giant white sturgeon seized from poachers

OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Staff

Report Date:

http://www.dfw.state.or.us

ST HELENS, Ore.—A giant white sturgeon more than seven feet long was among five sturgeon seized and released by OSP F&W Troopers responding to a report of poaching in Scappoose Bay this month. Poachers face felony charges after breaking numerous fishing laws.   

Sportsmen fishing along the banks of Scappoose Bay noticed people fishing from a boat had caught a sturgeon but did not release it as required by law. The legal anglers reported what they saw to OSP Fish and Wildlife Troopers, who began monitoring the area.  After two days of surveillance, Troopers Scott Bernardi and Justin Morgan, both from the St Helens office, approached the men where they were moored at the dock. 

The subjects claimed that they had not caught any fish. However, Troopers could see two lines extending from the dock into the water.  When they pulled up the lines, they found four live sturgeon that had been secured under water. While inspecting the boat, they found the 88-inch giant white sturgeon. It takes between 50 and 80 years for sturgeon to reach that length. The biggest sturgeon are usually females because they require more room for increased egg production, according to ODFW Columbia River program manager, Tucker Jones. This fish was most likely a female.

One angler admitted to retaining all the fish and was cited and released for Take/Possession of Oversized White Sturgeon, which is a class C Felony under new charge classifications, according to officials. In addition, Troopers issued citations for misdemeanor crimes including Take/Possession of White Sturgeon, No Resident Angling License and Angling Prohibited Method-Barbed Hooks, No Resident Angling License and No Combined Angling Tag. Troopers seized Two rods with reels, along with a barbed hook as evidence.

The legal fishermen who reported the crime qualify for rewards through the Turn In Poachers (TIP) Reward Program. The program offers cash rewards or hunter preference points to people who report fish and wildlife crimes that result in an arrest or citation.

All five sturgeon were released back into the bay alive, which is a relief to conservationists. White sturgeon, once plentiful in Oregon waterways, are culturally and ecologically significant, and are a Pacific Northwest icon. Referred to as a living-dinosaur among fish, the sturgeon is long-lived and revered as “living fossils” because they have remained nearly unchanged since they first evolved around 200 million years ago.

White sturgeon fisheries in the lower Columbia and Willamette rivers currently generate between 30,000 – 40,000 angler trips annually, which contribute millions in economic benefits. While most sturgeon fisheries are catch-and-release, there are still limited opportunities for retaining sturgeon, but lower populations of the slow-growing fish mean fewer opportunities to take one home. So it is important for everyone that anglers only harvest fish during legal retention seasons and adhere to size and bag limits.

An 80-year-old giant sturgeon is a valued contributor to the breeding stock. Sturgeon don’t reach breeding maturity until they are about 20 years old, and about six feet long. They can live to be 100 years or older. Older female sturgeon can produce ten times the number of eggs as young females and may carry up to 100 pounds of eggs. Sturgeon caviar can sell for as much as $100 per ounce packaged and sold in black market caviar markets, although poachers receive only a small fraction of that amount in their dark corner deals. Still, poachers continue to ply Oregon rivers, contributing to an ongoing reduction of the fishery. 

The overall abundance of white sturgeon is only a fraction of what it was 150 years ago, according to Jones.

“Sturgeon are a long-lived, slow-growing, and late-maturing species,” Jones said. “Management actions taken today can have repercussions long into the future and rebuilding efforts can be quite prolonged. They already face numerous ecological, environmental, and other human-caused challenges on the road to recovery—poaching, especially of adult over-size sturgeon, is a huge issue.”

Stop Poaching campaign coordinator Yvonne Shaw states the importance of the TIP Line.

“The TIP Line is a key tool to fight poaching,” she said, “People who call the TIP Line to report poaching or suspected poaching, can remain anonymous and they also can get cash rewards or hunter preference points if their tip leads to an arrest or citation.”

The Stop Poaching Campaign educates the public on how to recognize and report poaching. This campaign is a collaboration among hunters, conservationists, land owners and recreationists. Our goal is to increase reporting of wildlife crimes through the TIP Line, increase detection by increasing the number of OSP Fish and Wildlife Troopers and increase prosecution. This campaign helps to protect and enhance Oregon’s fish and wildlife and their habitat for the enjoyment of present and future generations. Contact campaign coordinator Yvonne Shaw for more information. Yvonne.L.Shaw@odfw.oregon.gov.

More Reports


OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Reports
for Wednesday, March 16th, 2022
Brownlee Reservoir: Brownlee Reservoir is 35 ft. below full pool
Imnaha River: Mid-March through mid-April often is one of the best periods for steelhead fishing
Wallowa Lake : Wallowa Lake has had ice on in throughout the latter part of the winter
Crooked River: The Crooked River remains low, so anglers might look for trout in deeper waters
Lake Billy Chinook: Fishing is off to a good start since the lake opened on March 1
Metolius River: March can be a good month for fishing on the Metolius
Pine Hollow Reservoir:  The reservoir is schedule to be stocked later this month
Prinevile Reservoir: Trout fishing continues to be good near the dam
Blue River Reservoir: Will be stocked this week for the first time this season
Detroit Reservoir: Currently the reservoir water level is about 70 feet above the bottom of Mongold boat ramp
Dexter Reservoir: Will be stocked again this week
EE Wilson Angling Pond: The pond is stocked with trout from February through May
Green Peter Reservoir: This reservoir is slowly filling again
Hills Creek Reservoir: Hills Creek Reservoir will be stocked this week
Junction City Pond: The pond was stocked last week
Santiam River ( North Fork) : Fishing for hatchery steelhead is open year-round
Santiam River (South Fork): Currently flows are around 1,900 cfs at the Waterloo gauge
Timber Linn Lake: It will be stocked this week
Waverly Lake: This lake was stocked last week
Willamette River: Catch estimates, below Willamette Falls to mouth
Alsea River: Winter steelhead fishing improved after the recent rain
Necanicum River: The hatchery winter steelhead run on the Necanicum River is done
Nehalem River: The Nehalem came up early this week but will be dropping until Saturday morning
Nehalem River- North Fork: The North Fork Nehalem should be fishable throughout the week
Nestucca River: The Nestucca is just a little on the high side
Siletz River: Winter steelhead fishing on the Siletz slowed down last week
Siuslaw River: Winter steelhead fishing continues to be steady on the Siuslaw
Trask River: The Trask is a little high but fishable
Wilson River: The Wilson is fishable
Gerber Reservoir: Gerber Reservoir is a large turbid reservoir. Bank access is good
Upper Klamath Lake: The lake is 2.5 feet below full pool and 60 percent full
Klamath River - Upper - OR: Klamath River Fishing Report
Phillips Reservoir: As the weather continues to warm and the ice melts more
Pilcher Reservoir: The ice around the edge of Pilcher Reservoir has been thin making access difficult
Thief Valley Reservoir: Recently, the ice around the edges of Thief Valley Reservoir has melted
Unity Reservoir: We have not received any recent reports
Wolf Creek Reservoir: The ice around the edge of Wolf Creek Reservoir recently has been thin
Agate Lake: Agate has received 3,000 legal rainbow trout since Feb. 14
Umpqua River: Umpqua River Fishing Report
Sixes River: Current fishing conditions are good
Saunders Lake: Saunders Lake was stocked earlier this month
Rogue River- Upper: Best bets for the upper river would be concentrating on the area between Shady Cove and Touvelle
Rogue River - Middle: This last weekend saw anglers catching a mix of fresh winter fish and down runner summer steelhead
Rogue River- Lower: Fishing conditions are good
Pistol River: Fishing conditions are currently great
Lost Creek Lake: There should also be some very good holdover fish available
Lake Selmac: Bluegill fishing from shore will be fair with the water temps still pretty chilly
Illinois River: The Illinois saw two really nice bumps in flow over the last 3 days
Howard Prairie Reservoir: There is some open water, but access is limited
Galesville Reservoir: The boat ramp is just usable and anglers are taking advantage of it
Elk River: Later season steelhead fishing can be excellent on the Elk
Diamond Lake: Warmer temperatures may start to melt the ice, but anglers have been out fishing and doing fairly well
Cooper Creek Reservoir: The first stocking of trout is scheduled for next week
Chetco River: Recent rainfall has brought the river levels up
OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Reports
for Sunday, March 13th, 2022


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