Juvenile Nechako White Sturgeon Release Event – Riverside Park, Vanderhoof
Media Advisory / Photo Opportunity
Event: Release of 1-year old hatchery born Nechako White Sturgeon into the Nechako River
When: Friday May 4, 2018
Time: 09:00 am to 15:00
Where: Riverside Park in Vanderhoof. 3100 Burrard Ave adjacent to the Nechako River
Participants: 526 children from School District 91, Dignitaries, Vanderhoof Mayor, District of Vanderhoof, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC staff, and members of the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative’s (NWSRI) Community and Technical Working Groups.
Details:
This outreach and stewardship event of the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative will see over 500 elementary age school children from the Nechako Watershed each name and release a hatchery reared 1-year old juvenile Nechako white sturgeon into the Nechako River. The sturgeon are on average 150g and were reared at the Nechako White Sturgeon Conservation Centre in Vanderhoof. This event also has the students circulate through a number of educational booths that focus on different aspects of fish biology, river ecology, the Nechako watershed and research conducted by the NWSRI’s Technical Working Group partners.
The release event will take place on May 4, 2018, at Riverside Park in Vanderhoof. The event is open to the public. However, due to the limited number of fish to release, releasing a fish will be offered to elementary school aged children only. The NWSRI has partnered with the District of Vanderhoof, School District 91, Habitat Stewardship Program, Rio Tinto, Avison Management Services, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, and Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC to put on this event. Volunteers includes high-school and university students, as well as members from a number of non-profit groups.
In April 2001, the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative’s Community Working Group (CWG) was created. The CWG is composed of individuals that represent First Nations, non-government environmental organizations, industry, local and regional governments, and affected public. The CWG focuses on increasing the public’s awareness and knowledge about the recovery process. To learn more about NWSRI please visit www.nechakowhitesturgeon.org.
The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC was created in 2003 as a private, not-for-profit organization, dedicated to the enhancement and conservation of BC’s freshwater fish resources for the benefit of the public. The Society operates the Nechako White Sturgeon Conservation Centre. To learn more about the Society and its programs, visit gofishbc.com
For more information contact:
Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative
Michelle Roberge, NWSRI Coordinator
Email: info@nechakowhitesturgeon.org
www.nechakowhitesturgeon.org
Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative
Community Working Group Chair
Wayne Salewski
salewski@telus.net
Cory Williamson, Hatchery Manager
Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC
T: 250-567-6673 E: Cory.Williamson@gofishbc.com
