With a greedy Vancouver-based otter as it feasts on expensive fish and evades capture, Vanderhoof has its own otter issues.

Nechako White Sturgeon, a species listed under federal government害羞草研究所檚 Species At Risk Act (SARA) are being preyed upon by otter in the Nechako watershed.

Unlike in Vancouver, where there害羞草研究所檚 just one troublesome otter, the SARA-listed sturgeon face a number of the predators, says Wayne Salewski, the chair of the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative害羞草研究所檚 Community Working Group.

害羞草研究所淚 think we have families of otters who, like all good otters, like fish.害羞草研究所�

The sturgeon travel the length and breadth of the Nechako watershed, swimming as far north as Takla Lake and as far west as Stuart Lake, but always returning to a stretch of water downtown Vanderhoof to spawn.

The Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative in the city runs a hatchery, catching female and male sturgeon, stripping the eggs gently and returning the adult fish to the river, and then hand-fertilizing the eggs to raise juvenile sturgeon. The young sturgeon are later released into the river at nine different sites, some with radio transmitters in them, to allow the Initiative to track the fish and their survival rate.

Salewski says they害羞草研究所檝e discovered in the past few years that the juvenile fish are being preyed upon by otter in the river system.

害羞草研究所淥ver the years we started to recognize that those fish with radio transmitters seemed to get preyed on quite heavily by otters. We害羞草研究所檇 find that out by finding the radio transmitter up on the shore,害羞草研究所� explains Salewski.

害羞草研究所淢ost interestingly, we find a lot of these transmitters in the latrines of otters. Otters are very social animals, very clean, and they like the same bathroom sites.害羞草研究所�

Salewski says the otter don害羞草研究所檛 ingest the transmitters, but eat around them and spit them out. Volunteers with the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative are able to use their radios to find the discarded transmitters, which are reusable, says Salewski. 害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 one good thing about the whole situation.害羞草研究所�

The group has now begun to put together a program to discover the impact the otters are making to the survival, and overall recovery, of the at-risk white sturgeon.

Salewski says it害羞草研究所檚 been a learning curve from the start.

害羞草研究所淲ith every year of experience we are having to make changes in our practices to increase survivial. In the first few years, we would put a fish into the water at two to three inches in length. 害羞草研究所� We could quickly see things like seagulls swarming our release sites and having a heyday. So that caused us to say, 害羞草研究所榃ell, we will raise them bigger and that should look after that.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

But the larger fish, at 12 to 14 inches, were excellent fodder for osprey and eagles, says Salewski.

害羞草研究所淣o self-respecting eagle would go after a two-inch fish, but it would easily go after a 12- to 14-inch fish.害羞草研究所�

Now, the volunteers at the hatchery have decided to release the fish after two years.

害羞草研究所淭hat is our reaction. 害羞草研究所� If otters are chasing these [12-inch fish], perhaps if they were bigger and faster, maybe an otter wouldn害羞草研究所檛 challenge the idea of taking them on. That害羞草研究所檚 where we are 害羞草研究所� supersizing our fish and seeing if that gives us a better survival rate.害羞草研究所�

Salewski says the current low water levels aren害羞草研究所檛 helping, as visibility is good for predators.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 the circle of life. We are not naive, but there are many questions that are left behind. Are we in fact making otters healthier because they now have a constant supply of food? And will the healthy mommy produce more healthy babies and our problem will get larger because there are more of them? These are obvious questions and things that need to be answered,害羞草研究所� says Salewski.

Find out more about the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative .

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