Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris): Report on the progress of management plan implementation for the period 2017 to 2021
Official title: Report on the Progress of Management Plan Implementation for the Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) in Canada for the period 2017 to 2021
2026
Species at Risk Act
Management Plan Report Series
Document information
Recommended citation:
Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 2026. Report on the Progress of Management Plan Implementation for the Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) in Canada for the period 2017 to 2021. Species at Risk Act Management Plan Report Series. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa. iii + 6 pp.
For copies of the recovery document, or for additional information on species at risk, including Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) status report, and other related documents, please visit the Species at Risk Public Registry.
Cover photo: Green Sturgeon by Daniel W. Gotshall.
Également disponible en français sous le titre : « Rapport sur les progrès de la mise en œuvre du plan de gestion de l’esturgeon vert (Acipenser medirostris) au Canada pour la période de 2017 à 2021 »
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Fisheries and the Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, 2026. All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-0-660-97962-5
Catalogue no. En3-5/76-1-2026E-PDF
Content (excluding the illustrations) may be used without permission with appropriate credit to the source.
Preface
The Species at Risk Act (S.C. 2002, c.29) (SARA) requires the competent minister(s) to monitor and report on the implementation of recovery documents (that is, recovery strategies, action plans, and management plans) for species at risk. These reports must describe the progress made towards the species’ recovery or conservation Footnote 1.
The Minister of Fisheries is the competent minister for aquatic species at risk. The minister responsible for the Parks Canada Agency is the competent minister for aquatic species at risk that are found in their jurisdiction. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Parks Canada (PC) have jointly prepared this progress report.
Reporting on the progress toward implementing recovery documents includes reporting on the collective efforts of the competent minister(s), provincial and territorial governments, and all other parties involved in carrying out actions that contribute to the species’ recovery or conservation.
As stated in the preamble to SARA, success in the recovery and conservation of species at risk depends on the commitment and cooperation of many contributors, and will not be achieved by DFO, PC, or any other jurisdiction, alone. All Canadians are invited to join in supporting and implementing the recovery documents, for the benefit of the species and Canadian society as a whole.
Acknowledgements
The progress report was prepared by Shayla Sopracolle-Tate, Christopher Chan, and Madeline Cashion, regional recovery planners within DFO. The progress toward species recovery described in this report would not have been achieved without the partnerships and contributions of many individuals and organizations, including the Government of British Columbia.
Executive summary
This report summarizes the progress made by DFO, PC and their partners towards implementing the management plan for the Green Sturgeon between 2017 and 2021. For more information on the contents of this document, please contact the Species at Risk Program (dfo.ncrsara-leprcn.mpo@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).
1 Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris)
Special Concern
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and its partners have made progress towards the implementation of the conservation measures identified in the Management Plan for the Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) in Canada, through the actions undertaken between March 2017 and December 2021, to support the conservation of the Green Sturgeon. The management plan provides detailed information on the species, its threats, its needs, management objectives, and conservation measures.
This progress report is part of a series of documents for this species that should be taken into consideration together, including the management plan. Refer to the Green Sturgeon species profile on the Species at Risk Public Registry for more information and related documents.
Long description
Figure 1 is an illustration of a single Green Sturgeon viewed from the side. Illustration by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark.
1.1 Progress towards meeting the management objective for the Green Sturgeon
Management objectives establish, to the extent possible, the conditions that are necessary for the conservation of the species. The management objective for the Green Sturgeon is to:
- maintain their distribution and abundance at existing levels or higher in Canadian Pacific waters by limiting threats to the species within Canadian waters
Three broad strategies were identified in the management plan to meet the management objective for the Green Sturgeon. During the reporting period, conservation actions were undertaken by DFO and its partners under all 3 broad strategies. Some key achievements are described below.
Broad strategy 1: management
- DFO continues to implement commercial fisheries management measures under the Fisheries Act to reduce bycatch mortality by prohibiting their retention and minimizing harm
- DFO continues to implement recreational fisheries management measures prohibiting the retention of Green Sturgeon in freshwater and tidal waters (DFO 2021)
- The Government of British Columbia (BC) also prohibits the retention of Green Sturgeon throughout BC nontidal areas, where they have delegated authority for management of Green Sturgeon (summarized in: Government of BC 2025 (PDF, 23.9 MB))
Broad strategy 2: research and monitoring
- The Novel Applied eDNA Metabarcoding Reference Sequence (NAMERS) resource published a complete genome and high quality reference DNA sequence library for the freshwater fishes of BC (Westfall et al. 2024). This work mapped the entire genome of Green Sturgeon and will be an important tool to support continued identification and distribution research using eDNA
- The Government of BC deployed and maintained a 30+ unit receiver array in the lower Fraser (up to Yale area), Pitt, and Harrison rivers during the reporting period. This telemetry array, like similar arrays deployed over the past 10 years in smaller tributaries and lakes, primarily monitors coastal cutthroat trout, smallmouth bass, and other freshwater species (Lawerence pers. comm. 2024). However, these arrays provide opportunities to observe occurrence and seasonal abundance of tagged Green Sturgeon in the study areas
Broad strategy 3: outreach and communication
- In 2020, DFO published and promoted the “Sturgeon Identification Guide: Sturgeon Found in British Columbia Waters.” The guide includes information on Green Sturgeon status, management measures, and distribution, as well as diagrams to help readers distinguish between White Sturgeon and Green Sturgeon
- Conservation needs of Green Sturgeon are considered within Integrated Fisheries Management Plans that may intercept the species
Long description
Credit: From Sturgeon Identification Guide: Sturgeon Found in British Columbia Waters (DFO 2020); originally Paul Vesci/COSEWIC Status Report on the Green Sturgeon Acipenser medirostris in Canada 2004, Eddy and Underhill 1978.
Achievement of the management objective is evaluated using performance indicators. Table 1 provides an overview of the status of performance indicators as of the end of the reporting period. Performance indicators that were partially met or not met are discussed in the “Knowledge gaps and future priorities” section below.
| Performance indicator | Status Footnote 2 | Description of progress |
|---|---|---|
| Maintain or enhance fisheries management measures to reduce bycatch mortality in Canadian Pacific waters as required by 2019 | Met, ongoing | Fisheries management measures that reduce bycatch mortality are in place, and have been maintained throughout the reporting period including under the Fisheries Act and via BC’s Wildlife Act (summarized in the BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis (PDF, 23.9 MB)). |
| Complete Green Sturgeon population monitoring to determine interception trends in commercial and recreational fisheries by 2019 | Not met | There has been limited population monitoring for Green Sturgeon (Grant pers. comm. 2024). No interception trends in commercial and recreational fisheries have been analyzed to date. |
| Complete scientific research on the biology, ecology, stock structure and threats to determine: the species range, areas of aggregation and seasonal occurrence, and population structure by including tissue sampling in observer programs for genetic analysis by 2019 | Partially met, underway | Genomic mapping and high-quality reference DNA sequence library for the freshwater fishes of BC (including Green Sturgeon) was completed during the reporting period using the NAMERS resource (Westfall et al. 2024). More tissue sampling by observers may be required to support research on the biology, ecology, stock structure, and threats to Green Sturgeon in Canada. |
| Identify habitat and dietary requirements by 2019 | Not met | There has been limited data collected on Green Sturgeon habitat and dietary requirements in Canada (Grant pers. comm. 2024). There are no known spawning populations of Green Sturgeon in Canada, but in the United States, there have been studies on Green Sturgeon habitat in spawning rivers and estuaries (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] 2022). Green Sturgeon diet data has also been collected in the United States (NOAA 2018). |
| Expand receiver arrays to better track tagged fish in Canadian waters by 2019 | Partially met, underway | The Government of BC deployed and maintained a 30+ unit receiver array in the lower Fraser (up to Yale area), Pitt, and Harrison Rivers from 2013 to 2023. Various other telemetry arrays have been deployed over the past 10 years in smaller tributaries and lakes for monitoring coastal cutthroat trout, smallmouth bass, and other freshwater species (Lawerence pers. comm. 2024). While these tracking efforts may contribute to detections data for Green Sturgeon in part of their range, more arrays specifically targeting their preferred habitats would advance progress toward meeting this indicator. |
| Complete identification guide and accompanying outreach program (to distinguish Green Sturgeon from White Sturgeon) to provide species specific information to fishers, regulatory agencies, First Nations, and the public by 2019 | Met | In 2020, DFO published and promoted the “Sturgeon Identification Guide: Sturgeon Found in British Columbia Waters” (DFO 2020). This guide includes information on Green Sturgeon status, management measures, and distribution, as well as diagrams to help readers distinguish between White Sturgeon and Green Sturgeon. |
| Include Green Sturgeon management measures in Integrated Fisheries Management Plans and License Conditions by 2019 | Met, ongoing | Conservation needs of Green Sturgeon are considered within Integrated Fisheries Management Plans (IFMPs) that may intercept the species; these considerations have been included in License Conditions for the associated fisheries. |
1.2 Key knowledge gaps and future priorities for the Green Sturgeon
There has been no systematic monitoring of Green Sturgeon in Canada during this reporting period (2017 to 2021). While some performance indicators have been met, the status of the management objective is unknown. Further work is required to support the management of Green Sturgeon. Priority next steps include, but are not limited to:
- developing and implementing a populating monitoring program to determine interception rates by commercial and recreation fisheries
- expanding efforts to collect Green Sturgeon tissue samples and deploy receiver arrays for tagged fish
- continuing and improving transboundary collaborations with United States and First Nations partners to work toward completing activities laid out in the management plan
2 Concluding statement
During the reporting period, progress was made toward implementing the conservation measures identified in the management plan for the Green Sturgeon.
DFO remains committed to the conservation of all aquatic species at risk. The work that has been initiated and completed to date has built a strong foundation for the continued management of the Green Sturgeon. DFO, PC, and their partners will continue to work towards the achievement of the management objectives for Green Sturgeon, and welcome the participation of additional partners.
3 References
- DFO 2017. Pacific Region integrated fisheries management plan, groundfish (PDF, 9.2 MB). Accessed 16 July 2024.
- DFO 2020. Sturgeon identification guide: sturgeon found in British Columbia waters. Accessed 3 June 2024.
- DFO 2021. Recreational fishing in British Columbia. Accessed 17 July 2024.
- Huff, D. D., Lindley S. T., Wells, B. K., and Chai F. 2012. Green Sturgeon distribution in the Pacific Ocean estimated from modeled oceanographic features and migration behavior. PLOS ONE 7(9): e45852.
- Government of British Columbia. 2025. 2025-2027 Freshwater fishing regulations synopsis (PDF, 23.9 MB). Accessed 1 April 2025.
- Grant, P., pers. comm. 2024. Teams meeting with S. Sopracolle-Tate. June 2024. Research Scientist, Science Branch, DFO, Saanich, BC.
- Lawerence, M., pers. comm. 2024. Email correspondence with S. Sopracolle-Tate. June 2024. Biologist, Fish and Aquatic Wildlife Resources, Provincial Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 2018. Recovery plan for the southern distinct population segment of North American Green Sturgeon. Accessed 7 April 2025.
- NOAA. 2022. Southern distinct population segment of the North American Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) 5-year review: summary and evaluation. Accessed 7 April 2025.
- NOAA. 2024. Green Sturgeon: conservation and management. Accessed 25 September 2024.
- Westfall, K. M., Singer, G. A. C., Kaushal, M., Gilmore, S. R., Fahner, N., Hajibabaei, M., and Abbott, C. L. 2024. NAMERS: a purpose-built reference DNA sequence database to support applied eDNA metabarcoding. Metabarcoding and Metagenomics 8: e125095.