After a summer of awe, the region’s lone visible sturgeon appears to be in distress, raising concern for the survival of a critically endangered species
After a summer of awe-inspiring appearances near the Trail shoreline, the city’s most-watched fish — a white sturgeon — now appears to be in distress, entangled in rope and a fishing float.
The federal government has opened a file, and white sturgeon experts are now assessing what, if any, intervention may be possible.
The incident was first reported on Monday, Aug. 25, when a passerby sent the Trail Times photos showing the sturgeon with what appears to be rope and a fishing float wrapped around its body.
The images raised serious concerns about the fish’s mobility and condition.
The Trail Times immediately contacted the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line.
Sgt. Ben Beetlestone of the West Kootenay Conservation Officer Service responded quickly, confirming the matter falls under federal jurisdiction.
He said the Conservation Officer Service had not received any other calls about the sturgeon and advised that such cases are directed to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
The Times reached out to the DFO’s Observe, Record, Report line Monday afternoon, and a file was opened.
Then on Tuesday, Aug. 26, DFO confirmed by email that the report is under active review and the best course of action is being determined.
“At this time DFO is not en route,” said Heather Bettger, Senior Compliance Program Officer, Species at Risk, Conservation and Protection, Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
“The expertise that would be required here is not from within DFO, though we do assume protection for this SARA-listed population and are responsible for permitting any activities that may impact a species at risk, such as capturing for disentanglement.”
Bettger added that public input is now critical to help determine how to proceed.
She asked anyone who may have additional information to report whether the fish is still in the area, or if it has been seen regularly at the same location over the past few days.
Additional photos that clearly show how the fish is entangled would also be very helpful.
“If you have any additional information or photos, it would be much appreciated, as we continue to evaluate our next steps,” she said.
Anyone who has seen the sturgeon recently — or can provide clear photos of its condition — is encouraged to contact DFO through the Observe, Record, Report line at 1-800-465-4336.
The Times will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as new information becomes available.
While the presence of this ancient fish near Trail has captivated many locals all summer, this incident is a stark reminder of how vulnerable the species remains, and how every individual sturgeon matters in the fight to preserve the population.
White sturgeon have lived in the Columbia Basin for thousands of years. As Canada’s largest freshwater fish, they can grow to over three metres in length and live more than 100 years.
But the population in the Upper Columbia River has been declining for decades due to habitat loss, altered river flows, and a lack of natural recruitment, meaning too few juveniles survive to adulthood.
In 2003, the Upper Columbia white sturgeon population was officially assessed as “at risk” by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and it was listed under the Species at Risk Act in 2006.
A federal action plan released in 2024 confirms the population remains critically endangered.
While hatchery programs and habitat protection efforts have helped slow the decline, natural recovery remains elusive.
More than 5,000 hatchery-origin sturgeon are now in the Columbia system, according to BC Hydro’s latest monitoring data.
However, only about 1,000 wild adults are estimated to remain in the Canadian section of the river.
Community efforts, Indigenous leadership, and scientific collaboration continue to drive recovery efforts, but as the incident in Trail shows, even one entangled fish is cause for concern.