Huge sturgeon caught near Lillooet, B.C., for likely the first time in its 110-year life
A massive sturgeon caught near Lillooet, B.C., on Father's Day may be the largest ever landed on that portion of the Fraser River, according to the company that organized the fishing trip.
River Monster Adventures estimated that the nearly 700-pound fish was around 110 years old. It measured 10'1" (nearly 3.1 metres) long and had a girth of 57 inches (1.4 metres), the company said in an email to CTV News Vancouver.
Alberta hunters Steve Ecklund and Mark Boise joined guides Nick McCabe and Tyler Speed for the excursion. They had caught a few sturgeon earlier on in the weekend, but none came close to the size of the giant they landed late Sunday, after a roughly two-hour, two-kilometre-long upstream fight.
"The sturgeon jumped out of the water multiple times, and that’s when they realized how big this dino actually was," a spokesperson for River Monster Adventures said.
The company said it believes the fish may be the largest ever caught in the "middle portion" of the Fraser River, and it's the largest the company has ever been involved in catching in that area.
Despite its advanced age, the sturgeon had not been tagged, suggesting that this may have been the first time it had been caught, according to River Monster Adventures.
"Steve and Mark have never fished the Fraser, so it was a fish of a lifetime," the spokesperson said.
After taking some photos, the crew released the fish back into the Fraser.
According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, white sturgeon are the largest freshwater fish in Canada, and they've existed relatively unchanged for millions of years.
In a critical state of decline in some parts of B.C., the bottom-feeding fish is among the wildlife protected under the Species at Risk Act. Species living in the Nechako River, Upper Columbia River, Upper Fraser River and Upper Kootenay River are all protected by the federal act.
The Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society says white sturgeon can live well over 150 years, and can grow up to six metres in length.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Kendra Mangione
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confirms his party will support the Liberals' federal budget
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will support the federal budget, ending any speculation that the party could pull out of its deal with the minority Liberal government.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.