Citation | Nelson, TC, Gazey, WJ, English, KK and Rosenau, ML. 2004. Status of White Sturgeon in the lower Fraser River: Report on the findings of the lower Fraser River white sturgeon monitoring and assessment program 1999-2004. Prepared for Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society. |
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Organization | Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society |
URL | http://www.frasersturgeon.com/media/2_StatusofWhiteSturgeonintheLowerFraserRiver1999-2004.pdf |
Abstract/Description or Keywords | The province of British Columbia has a responsibility and a long-standing interest in the conservation, protection, management, and assessment of Fraser River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus). The Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society (FRSCS), a not-for-profit charitable organization founded in 1997, has a mandate to conserve and restore Fraser River white sturgeon stocks, raise public awareness regarding Fraser sturgeon and their ecosystem, and gather reliable information on sturgeon in an effort to develop and promote effective conservation programs. Both the province of British Columbia and the FRSCS recognize that there is a distinct need to provide reliable estimates of the population size and structure of white sturgeon in the lower Fraser River downstream of Mission, and to increase the confidence in the estimates of white sturgeon abundance in the section of river from Mission to Hope to assist in their conservation mandates. This report presents an update of project activities and population assessments for the Lower Fraser River White Sturgeon Monitoring and Assessment Program from its beginning in October 1999 through mid-February 2004. The study applied the coordinated efforts and in-kind contributions from true stewards of the resource: angling guides, recreational, commercial, and aboriginal fishermen, test fishery and enforcement personnel, and various fishery monitors. These volunteers were trained to sample, tag, and record and transfer data. Project volunteers tagged and released over 5000 sturgeon within the study area by March 2001. In April 2001, the project incorporated a Lower Fraser River First Nations White Sturgeon Stewardship project as a strategic and parallel component of the core monitoring and assessment project. By February 2004, the combined projects had tagged and released over 16,000 sturgeon, sampled over 21,000 sturgeon for the presence of a tag, and documented over 3000 recapture events. In-kind contributions of time and equipment (boats, vehicles, sampling equipment) from FRSCS volunteers exceeded $450,000 per year. Project volunteers and sponsors are represented by virtually all private and public sectors, interests, and governments. A descriptive population model was developed to provide reliable estimates of the population of white sturgeon in the lower Fraser River, by size/age group and location, based on tag release and recapture. The population component of the model considers tag distribution and seasonal mixing, and is sensitive to estimates of mortality, emigration, and observer error. The model also describes patterns of inter- and intraannual movements, and specific feeding and overwintering behaviors, by size/age group. As of mid-February 2004, the population estimate for white sturgeon (from 40-220 cm fork length) in the lower Fraser River was 62,611. This mean population estimate was greater than the 4-year (2000-2003) mean estimate of 57,262, and significantly greater than the mean population estimate before January 2002 (50,654). Comparative population estimates of the numbers of sturgeon before and after January 2002 strongly suggest increases in the numbers of sturgeon, for all size categories (20 cm size groups). This indicates a rebuilding/increasing population, which is an important management consideration in respect to a review of measures applied for the purposes of conservation, protection, and stock rebuilding. Currently, the Conservation Data Center (MWLAP) lists Fraser River white sturgeon as a "threatened" stock (the stock is "red" listed, classification S-2). From the onset of this program in April 2000, through November 2003, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed white sturgeon as a “species of special concern.” However, since the passage of SARA (Species at Risk Act), the committee designated white sturgeon as “endangered” (see 28 November 2003 COSEWIC press release: http://www.cosewic.gc.ca/eng/sct7/sct732e.cfm). The development of specific agency actions for white sturgeon arising from this legislation and the subsequent regulations are currently being undertaken. |
Information Type | report |
Regional Watershed | Lower Fraser |
Sub-watershed if known | Fraser River |
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Project status | complete |
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