University of Idaho

Palouse Student Sub-unit of the American Fisheries Society

3rd Annual Sturgeon Trip

October 2nd-3rd, 2009

Billy Creek Cabin Snake River, Idaho

The Palouse Unit student chapter of the American Fisheries Society participated in an official IDFG sturgeon study covered by the authority of IDFG’s scientific collecting permit authority. All students were under direct supervision of F&G employees. Small sturgeon were temporarily removed from the river and processed in live wells to better facilitate measuring, tissue sampling, tagging and scanning for ingested hooks. The pictures were taken when the fish were being returned from the live well to the river. The pictures help document the difference in condition between a “skinny” fish that had an ingested hook stuck in its digestive tract and more typical condition of a small sturgeon with no metal detected in its gut. Larger sturgeon were processed in the river and not removed from the water. While Idaho fishing regulations do not allow any sturgeon to be removed from the water the activity is permissible for certain purposes under collecting permit authority.

© 2008-9 Palouse Unit AFS ● Last Updated 11 November 2009