Comox Valley Naturalists Society

Sunday, May 15, 2005
Dr. Dave Lane and Dr. John Morgan
Sturgeon: BC’s Mysterious River Giant

The featured speakers at this meeting will be Dr. Dave Lane and Dr. John Morgan of Malaspina University College who will discuss the biology, management and aquaculture potential of sturgeon.

Since the age of the dinosaurs, sturgeons have roamed the Pacific Ocean and a select few rivers on the West Coast, remaining relatively unchanged in their appearance for over 200 million years. This has led some people to refer to them as “living fossils”. White sturgeon, found in the Fraser and Columbia Rivers in BC, are the largest freshwater fish in North America reaching over 15 feet and 1000 pounds, and can live for over 100 years.

Despite their size and longevity, they have been somewhat of a mysterious fish to scientists and there is still much to be learned about their basic life history and biology. Due to poaching of wild stocks and the high world-wide demand for caviar, there has been recent interest in sturgeon aquaculture in Canada and elsewhere. White sturgeon have also been recently classified as an endangered species in Canada are currently being considered for listing under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).

The talk will discuss what we know of the life history and biology of white sturgeon, current management and conservation issues surrounding this species, its aquaculture potential, and the recent announcement of a sturgeon research centre on the Malaspina University-College campus in Nanaimo.

Dr. Lane is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture at Malaspina University-college. He is a recognized expert on sturgeon conservation and aquaculture topics and serves as a member of the Sturgeon Specialist Group for the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Dr. Morgan is a professor and chair of the Department of Resource Management at Malaspina University-College. He is the Project Leader for the recently funded International Centre for Sturgeon Studies in Nanaimo, and also serves on the working group for the Fraser River White Sturgeon Conservation Plan that is currently under development.

Click on a link below to view descriptions of previous guest speakers.