Meetings slated about sturgeon season

SPOKANE--The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will host two public meetings in late March to inform anglers of planned changes to future white sturgeon fishing seasons on Lake Roosevelt.

Since 2018, the Lake Roosevelt sturgeon fishery has opened in mid-June and closed at the end of September. In 2023, it will transition to a fall fishery to take advantage of cooler water temperatures which reduce stress on wild adult sturgeon caught by anglers.

Changes to other area sturgeon fishing rules will be made as well.

Modifications to the harvest slot (the size of fish legal to harvest) will be necessary over the next five to seven years to ensure the population is not negatively impacted, a Fish and Wildlife press release said.

Sturgeon reared and released into Lake Roosevelt between 2011-2016 didn’t survive as well as those released in earlier years of the project. Beginning with sturgeon produced in 2017, hatchery fish were larger at the time of release, which generally translates into higher survival.

That means a surplus of harvestable sturgeon is once again anticipated as those fish grow into harvestable sizes (likely beginning in 2029 or 2030), according to the press release.

“The white sturgeon population and fishery of Lake Roosevelt are incredibly valuable,” said Region 1 Fish Program Manager Chris Donley. “Changes to the fishery rules and season are based in conservation, and we are holding these meetings to share what we know with the public. We want them to know these decisions aren’t made lightly and are done to ensure conservation of the species and to preserve future fishing opportunity.”

The two meetings on the changes to the Lake Roosevelt sturgeon fishing season will be:

• 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 22 at WDFW Region 1 headquarters, 2315 North Discovery Place, Spokane Valley.

• 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, March 23 from at the Ag Trade Center, located at the Colville Fairgrounds, 317 West Astor Avenue, Colville.

Each meeting will consist of a presentation followed by a question-and-answer session.