The B.C. government has just approved a “precedent-setting” gravel mining project along the Fraser River, which conservationists say will have a devastating impact on one of only two known spawning areas for the Lower Fraser River white sturgeon.
Marvin Rosenau of the BCIT Rivers Institute said he was appalled by the province’s decision.
“You’re mining in one of the last sturgeon spawning sites that is known – why would you do it? It’s just so stupid.”
White sturgeon can live for more than 150 years, weigh up to 600 kilograms and grow more than six metres long. The sturgeon is considered a living fossil because it has survived virtually unchanged for more than 150 million years. They’re one of the most ancient fish in the world.
Photo: ‘Fraser River Gravel Reach‘ by Dru under the license CC BY-NC 2.0