Responsibility
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Sturgeon
Saskatchewan river sturgeon management board
SaskPower
is a proud partner in a number of initiatives to protect Saskatchewan's
ecosystem and species at risk, including the lake sturgeon.
The lake sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in Canada - it can grow to more than two metres in length and weigh more than 140 kilograms. These slow-maturing fish have been known to live more than 150 years. With an outer armour of bony plates, bones made of cartilage and a shark-like tail, sturgeon resemble fossils from the Upper Cretaceous period, more than 100 million years ago.
The Saskatchewan River is an important spawning ground for sturgeon, but their numbers in the stretch of the Saskatchewan River between the E.B. Campbell Station and Manitoba Hydro's Grand Rapids Generating Station have declined dramatically since the 1960s. Factors contributing to their decline include over-harvesting, loss and fragmentation of habitat, changes in the hydrological regime and possibly changes in water quality.
SaskPower funded a four-year study of this sturgeon population starting
in 1993 in response to the concerns of local communities. As a result of
the study, it was realized that this was an inter-provincial issue and
the sturgeon population could only be recovered if all parties worked together.
The Saskatchewan River Sturgeon Management Board was formed by SaskPower, Manitoba Hydro, Cumberland House Cree Nation, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Cumberland House Commercial Fishermen's Coop, Opaskwayak Commercial Fishermen's Coop, Saskatchewan Environment, Manitoba Conservation, Saskatchewan Northern Affairs and Fisheries & Oceans Canada.
The Board's mission is to prevent further decline of the sturgeon population and to develop and coordinate a recovery plan. They have undertaken a number of projects, including:
population monitoring through a mark and recapture study
habitat assessments
spawn taking and stocking
harvest surveys
the Sturgeon in the Schools program
