Female angler catches record-breaking sturgeon in B.C.
A B.C. fishing crew in Chilliwack called the Sturgeon Slayers just nabbed an 11-foot-4-inch white sturgeon, which is believed to be the largest ever landed in freshwater by a female angler.
A release shared by the Slayers revealed that the fish had a 60-inch pectoral girth and a 70-inch belly girth.
The release calls it a “fishing tale for the ages” that was authored by a conservation-minded, catch-and-release-focused guiding operation.
“Even more significant from a conservation perspective is the fact that the fish was untagged,” the release states.
Sturgeon Slayers
Sturgeon Slayers owner and guide Kevin Estrada documented the catch, affixing the first tag to the fish before it was released. This adds valuable information to the monitoring and conservation of what the Slayers call the “iconic White Sturgeon population.”
“This was an absolutely incredible fish,” Estrada said.
According to the Sturgeon Slayers Instagram page, the lucky female angler’s name is Katherine, who is from St. Louis. A story posted to the page said that she even has a sturgeon tattoo.
Estrada says that size isn’t the defining factor when it comes to the importance of catches like this, adding that White Sturgeon are among the “most iconic” freshwater species in B.C.
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“We have spent years promoting responsible catch-and-release angling, tagging, education and conservation. Every one of these big fish tells us something. We want people to appreciate how remarkable these fish are, but also to understand that they are worth protecting. The goal is to see these giants continue to swim in the Fraser for generations,” Estrada said.
According to the Slayers, the Fraser River White Sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish species on the continent and is considered one of the most “remarkable” populations on the planet. Apparently, the history stretches back millions of years.
A quick Google suggests some species of sturgeon date back hundreds of millions of years.
Sturgeon Slayers
“While the fish can reach extraordinary sizes and live for more than a century, their long-term future depends on continued conservation efforts, habitat protection, research and public education,” Sturgeon Slayers said.
The group has been featured on National Geographic, Discovery Channel, BBC Earth, Animal Planet, and Disney+.