Monday November 29, 2021
CBC News —
A flood-stranded sturgeon is now back in the comfortable confines of the main stem of the Fraser River thanks to the volunteer efforts and cardiovascular capacity of two angling guides, who pushed, pulled and carried the giant fish two kilometres to deep water.
The sturgeon was discovered by a helicopter crew flying near British Columbia’s Herrling Island, between Hope and Agassiz, on Thursday.
Video sent to the Fraser Valley Angling Guides Association (FVAGA) shows it struggling in an isolated and shallow pool left behind by receding floodwaters from recent catastrophic rains in B.C.
After seeing the video, the FVAGA jumped into action, dispatching two professional sturgeon guides — Tyler Buck and Jay Gibson — on a catch-and-release mission like no other.
“They were actually upriver doing debris collection and picking up garbage … when the call came in,” said Kevin Estrada, FVAGA director. “They were obviously very happy they could help out in any way.”