Men caught illegally snatching ‘prehistoric’ creatures from Oregon bay, officials say
Three men were caught trying to keep “prehistoric” creatures they reeled in from an Oregon bay, wildlife officials said.
Now they’ve been fined and one spent time in jail.
In 2022, other anglers reported the men after watching them catch a white sturgeon from the Scappoose Bay without releasing it back into the water, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a Feb. 26 news release.
Troopers investigating the incident found the men at their boat where it was moored, officials said.
The men told the officers they hadn’t caught any fish, but the troopers said they saw lines going into the water from the dock.
When they pulled the lines out of the water, troopers found four white sturgeon fish, officials said. They said they later found a fifth one.
One fish was about 80 years old and 7 feet long, wildlife officials said in the release.
All five fish were still alive and released back into the water, officials said.
The men were then fined because it’s illegal to catch a white sturgeon without releasing it, officials said.
Scappoose Bay is about 30 miles north of Portland, along the Columbia River.
What happened to the fishermen?
One fishermen from Salem pleaded guilty to take/possession of a giant white sturgeon, a felony charge; take/possession of four oversized sturgeons, a misdemeanor; and fishing without a license, wildlife officials said.
He spent 20 days in jail and now has to pay $5,000 in restitution to the wildlife agency and $500 to the Turn In Poachers TIP reward program. Additionally, he will be under three years of probation, and his fishing license has been suspended for three years.
The fishing rods and equipment he used to reel in the sturgeon were also forfeited to authorities, they said.
The second man from Dayton pleaded guilty to fishing without a resident angling license. He will serve “either 10 days on a Columbia County work crew, or 80 hours of community service, and 24 months of bench probation.”
He also has to pay $750 in restitution and lost his fishing license for three years.
The third man from St. Helens pleaded guilty to angling without a resident license. He will pay $500 in restitution and “serve 24 months bench probation” and won’t be able to legally fish for three years, officials said.
What to know about white sturgeon
White sturgeon are the largest freshwater fish in North America, followed by the the alligator gar, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The massive creatures can grow up to 20 feet but are typically 10 feet long, the Oregon wildlife agency said.
They can also weigh hundreds of pounds and live to 100 years old — or older, the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife said.
“Sturgeon are long-lived and revered as ‘living fossils’ because they have remained nearly unchanged since they first evolved around 200 million years ago,” Oregon fish and wildlife said in the release.
White sturgeon have bony plates instead of scales and skeletons mainly made from cartilage, according to the Oregon Zoo.
They may also live in the ocean or freshwater with large populations in the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
This story was originally published February 27, 2024 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Men caught illegally snatching ‘prehistoric’ creatures from Oregon bay, officials say."
