Fishery Report Details Sturgeon

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is sending 1994 sturgeon permit holders a report describing the mandatory permit program, including recent changes. The report is based on information provided by permit holders since 1989.

The purpose of the mandatory sturgeon permit program is to gather information about the different populations of sturgeon in Idaho. In 1989, the program’s first year, 2,843 sturgeon permits were issued to anglers. By 1994, the number of permits had more than doubled with 6,022 issued. The reports summarizes the size of sturgeon caught and where and when they were caught.

According to the report, between 1989 and 1993, about half the sturgeon caught were from three to six feet long and nearly one out of every four caught was more than six feet long.

The two strongest populations of sturgeon are in the Snake River between Lewiston and Hells Canyon Dam, and between D.J. Strike Dam and Bliss Dam.

The white sturgeon, once common in the Snake River, the Salmon River and in the Kootenai River, have been declining since they were over-fished in the 1880s.