Normally I leave the blogging to Ria, since she is the voice of experience in the office, but this is way too exciting and just can't wait.
One of our awesome clients, Kimm Blaquiere, with the assistance of guide Mike Neufeld, landed the largest sturgeon caught to date in 2012 on the Fraser River on Saturday! This amazing fish measured, from nose to fork, a whopping 11'2"!!!!!!
Congratulations to Kimm and Mike on a true fish of a lifetime!
Check out our press release below for more details.
Mike is first on the left in photos above and below, Kimm is pictured second from left.
Harrison
Hot Springs, BC – On September 29th,
2012 BC Sportfishing Group client, Manitoba sport fishing enthusiast Kimm
Blaquiere caught a true fish of a lifetime, near Mission, British Columbia. With assistance from BC Sportfishing Group
(BCSFG) angling guide Mike Neufeld, Blaquiere’s leviathan surfaced to greet the
enthusiastic cheers of spectators on boats nearby. Neufeld is responsible for
over 2300 samples for the study to date.
After landing this white sturgeon and
tagging it for the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society’s (FRSCS)
monitoring and assessment program, they were amazed to realize this fish
measured 340cm in length (fork Length) and 145 cm in girth – a whopping 11’ 2”. Those measurements make this the largest ‘tag
and released’ white sturgeon on the Fraser River for the 2012 season. Although not a world record, this fish was
estimated to weigh roughly 750 lbs.
Every Fraser River white sturgeon
encountered by BC Sportfishing Group fishing guides is sampled as part of the
FRSCS’ ongoing monitoring and assessment program. The study uses the fork length and girth
length from behind the pectoral fins measurements, to ensure consistency across
all samples. It is also the measurement
used by the International Game Fish Association (IFGA) when documenting their
record catches.
This amazing sturgeon represents the size
of mature brood stock needed to create the next generation of the species. Senior fisheries biologist and FRSCS Chair,
Karl English sees hope in this encounter.
“Fish in this size range are likely
female and more than 100 years old.
FRSCS has obtained size data from more than 50,000 sturgeon tagged over
the past 12 years. This sturgeon is one
of the top five largest measured in our
monitoring and assessment program and we want to do everything we can to
ensure their ability to reproduce.
Thanks to the data collected by our volunteers, we are able to monitor
the status of the lower Fraser sturgeon population, track growth rates and take
action towards the protection and recovery of this species,” English said.
Featured on National Geographic,
Discovery Channel Europe and recent recipient of the FRSCS Leadership in
Conservation Award for a Business, BCSFG guides have tagged and recorded more
information for the FRSCS than any other company in British Columbia. The BCSFG management team support many
fisheries related organizations dedicated to securing a better sport fishing
opportunity for the future. Key affiliations
include: Fraser Valley Salmon Society, Fraser Valley Angling Guides
Association, Salmon Table, Sport Fish Advisory Committee, Sport Fishing
Institute, as well as the many others.
To learn about
the population status and research related to Fraser River white sturgeon,
please visit www.frasersturgeon.com
