We have received many emails regarding the management of Columbia River commercial fisheries within the sturgeon sanctuary. The sanctuary was established to eliminate target fishing on the brood stock-sized sturgeon during their spawning and post-spawning recovery period.
Current management allows sport and commercial fishing in the area for species other than sturgeon. While we recognize that there is some handling of brood stock sturgeon that can occur during shad, pike minnow, salmon and steelhead fisheries, there is no evidence to suggest that this incidental handling by commercial or sport fisheries is having a negative impact on the brood stock sturgeon population.

We share your concerns about the recent decline in the lower Columbia River legal-size sturgeon population. And that's why we will continue to be diligent in our evaluation of our sport and commercial fishery strategies to ensure they support the original objective of the sturgeon
sanctuary.

Roy Elicker
Director
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife