Roughly 1,000 people, including over 700 children from local schools, gathered at Riverside Park in Vanderhoof to learn about and participate in the annual Nechako White Sturgeon release on June 6.
Elementary age school children each got to release a salmon fry, courtesy of the Spruce City Wildlife Association.
As a class, learners from across School District 91(SD 91) then released 63 juvenile Nechako White Sturgeon into the Nechako River.
"It's always an exciting event," said Wayne Salewski, chair of the Nechako White Sturgeon Community Working Group.
Groups from SD 91 and the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) were also given the chance to name their fish, which Salewski said is a tradition the participants seem to enjoy.
"You can see the fun, from the young kids who named them 'Cream Puff,' to the adults at the university who named theirs 'Brain Sturgeon.'"
The sturgeon were reared at the Nechako White Sturgeon Conservation Centre for two winters to allow them to grow large enough to escape most predation risks after their release.
The event, which ran from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., was co-hosted by SD 91, the District of Vanderhoof, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC and the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative, with support from Integris Credit Union.
In addition to releasing fish, students enjoyed 11 educational booths hosted by partner organizations such as Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Rio Tinto and the UNBC.
The release was also the host of an announcement by Rio Tinto to expand an ongoing partnership with the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and SD 91 through a $250,000 commitment over four years.
The company is supporting UNBC’s Active Minds Integrated Youth and Student Engagement Initiative to expand youth programming in communities across the Nechako Watershed.It is also providing $150,000 over the next three years to SD 91 to strengthen long-running youth engagement programs.
"This continued investment from Rio Tinto significantly strengthens our ability to provide hands-on, experiential learning opportunities that meaningfully engage students and foster a deeper connection to the land and waterways that surround them,” said SD 91 superintendent Anita McClinton in a press release by UNBC on June 6.
“By reaching students early – particularly those who may face systemic barriers to post-secondary pathways – we are helping to expand access, inspire curiosity and create new possibilities for their educational and career futures.”
