Sturgeon Question

[fuzzy]

Good Evening

I could use your guys help.I remember reading a few years back about some sturgeon poachers that got busted with a couple in there freezer. It had only been a few hours and the fish were actually able to survive. I related this to a couple of family members and am getting raked over the coals about it for actually believing the story.

Sooo either I'm gonna get get flamed for being gullible here as well or someone can verify and hopefully have some further info.

Warren

[adriaticum]

I highly doubt that sturgeon can survive in the freezer for a couple of hours.
Maybe in the cooler.

[russm]

I think you might have to take some shit from the family on this one lol

[M.Dean]

I watched a show last fall about the sturgeon fishery's that once caught and sold sturgeon by the thousands back in the 40's I think it was. They showed pictures of sturgeon that were hauled up on the shores of the Fraser River and piled on the docks, it was unbelievable! Then I think they shut it down in the early 50's because they though they might be depleting the Sturgeon, which they were. Anyway's, there was a story, with pictures of a field down near the mouth of the Fraser that flooded one year so the farmer couldn't till or plant it. The following year the water levels were a lot lower, so in the spring he went out and started to plow, the plow hit something and stopped the tractor, when the guy started to dig where the plow was stuck, guess what they dug up? A huge Sturgeon which must have buried it self in the mud as the water went down, and it was still alive!!! Tell the family that one, and you can point the finger at me!!! It was on the hour long show about Sturgeon, so they must have proof this really did happen.

[f350ps]

I remember that, it was a bunch of Asians I think from North Delta. The CO's found them in their fridge and they were still alive and were successfully released. K

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Know nothing about sturgeon but have caught fish ice fishing and had them freeze solid. Thawed them out in the sink at home at they came back to life. Had this happen with brookies, perch and bass.

[srupp]

Know nothing about sturgeon but have caught fish ice fishing and had them freeze solid. Thawed them out in the sink at home at they came back to life. Had this happen with brookies, perch and bass.


Huh...? Seriously....? Hmmmmmm..ok.....
Steven

[f350ps]

Know nothing about sturgeon but have caught fish ice fishing and had them freeze solid. Thawed them out in the sink at home at they came back to life. Had this happen with brookies, perch and bass.
I've had this happen with Rainbows also! K

[adriaticum]

I once cleaned a mullet back in the day, scaled it, took the guts out and put it on a rock.
It jumped and swam away.

[Dannybuoy]

They are tough buggers ( sturgeon) I have caught them and brought them home and they have still been alive . I am not sure of the time lapse but I am quite sure it was 6 or 8 hours out of water . This was years ago when there was a 36" limit .

[Ovis17]

I remember that, it was a bunch of Asians I think from North Delta. The CO's found them in their fridge and they were still alive and were successfully released. K
True story. They were revived in a bathtub and then released a short time later.

[f350ps]

I once cleaned a mullet back in the day, scaled it, took the guts out and put it on a rock.
It jumped and swam away.
Get outside once in a while and you could discover nature too! It's a big interesting world out there. K

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Huh...? Seriously....? Hmmmmmm..ok.....
Steven

Absolutely serious. Swimming around in our laundry sink on more than one occasion.
Geez....I wonder if that's breaking the law of transporting live fish😉

[BiG Boar]

It's true this story. They were in a big tub in the chest freezer still alive and meant to be frozen incased in ice to prevent freezer burn. The fish were very sluggish, but had been chipping through the ice on top with their scales. They were released later that day unharmed and to this day still come up on shore in Richmond once a year to thank the CO's who rescued them.

[Fella]

It's true this story. They were in a big tub in the chest freezer still alive and meant to be frozen incased in ice to prevent freezer burn. The fish were very sluggish, but had been chipping through the ice on top with their scales. They were released later that day unharmed and to this day still come up on shore in Richmond once a year to thank the CO's who rescued them.

And it was the best Christmas ever.

[TPK]

They are tough buggers ( sturgeon) I have caught them and brought them home and they have still been alive . I am not sure of the time lapse but I am quite sure it was 6 or 8 hours out of water . This was years ago when there was a 36" limit .

Yes they are amazingly tough. Back in those 36" limit days I would walk (or ride my bike) to Barnston Island and fish off the log booms. I caught a sturgeon and stuck my bowie knife through it's head pegging him to the log so he wouldn't get lost when the tugs went by and "swamped" the booms with their wake (lost lots of gear over the years when things starting rocking and I swear they would cross over from one side to the other just to swamp the booms we were on, lol). Fished for several more hours, walked home (an hour and half) and didn't feel like cleaning the fish when I got home so I put it in the goldfish pond out front (nice cool water) and the next day when I went to clean it, it was swimming .. not that well but certainly NOT dead. Amazingly tough fish.

[Dannybuoy]

Yes they are amazingly tough. Back in those 36" limit days I would walk (or ride my bike) to Barnston Island and fish off the log booms. I caught a sturgeon and stuck my bowie knife through it's head pegging him to the log so he wouldn't get lost when the tugs went by and "swamped" the booms with their wake (lost lots of gear over the years when things starting rocking and I swear they would cross over from one side to the other just to swamp the booms we were on, lol). Fished for several more hours, walked home (an hour and half) and didn't feel like cleaning the fish when I got home so I put it in the goldfish pond out front (nice cool water) and the next day when I went to clean it, it was swimming .. not that well but certainly NOT dead. Amazingly tough fish.

Ah yeah ... we used to go ooligan fishing off the booms ... I was just a kid tagging along with Dad so not sure where exactly but must have been close to Mission

[BigfishCanada]

when i was younger a friend caught a monster and he winched it to shore, he then came and grabbed us, drove us out to see it, then he pushed it in the water and it swam away, This was maybe 6-7 hours it was outta water. It did swim away

[TPK]

Folk Lore tells tale of folks in the past (Gold Rush era) up here in the Cariboo keeping a "big one" on a line, pulling it in and just carving off a piece every now and then, fresh fish for months.