Effective July 29-Sept. 15, all sturgeon fishing including catch-and-release is prohibited in the mainstem Columbia River from The Dalles Dam to the Priest Rapids Dam, fishery managers from Washington and Oregon announced today.
The decision was made due to increased mortality among adult sturgeon attributed to warm water temperatures. Approximately 24 adult sturgeon mortalities have been reported recently with most occurring in the John Day Pool.
High water temperatures and lower dissolved oxygen have been shown to stress and kill sturgeon. While only catch-and-release fishing is allowed this time of year, closing all fishing will help reduce stress from capture and handling and give sturgeon some relief until water temperatures cool off in September.
Sturgeon can live to be 100 years or older and don’t reach breeding maturity until they are about 20 years old and about six feet long. Older female sturgeon can produce ten times the number of eggs as young females and may carry up to 100 pounds of eggs.
While the lower and mid-Columbia River white sturgeon populations are not considered to be in danger, the population is not at desired abundance, especially in some of the reservoirs where recruitment of young fish is sporadic.
The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife will continue to coordinate with other fish managers to monitor sturgeon mortality in the Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day reservoirs.
