A strong arctic wind was blowing today, and the cold was numbing as I stood near the river taking pictures. It was hard to hold the camera steady in the windy gusts.
I wanted to see how the river was doing in the spring thaw. It was very swift, and the few ducks I saw simply moved with the fast flow. It was funny to see them zipping past. The islands and the river bank are still encrusted with snow and ice. There were flocks of geese flying overhead, but none of them landed on the river or the islands. There was also one lonely sandpiper at the water's edge and several gulls.
Nechako River290 km (180 miles) in length,
drains into the Fraser River at Prince George.
Supports 20 fish species, including sockeye, chinook, coho,
rainbow trout, bull trout, lake trout, burbot,
mountain white fish and white sturgeon.
Two very brave ducks
drains into the Fraser River at Prince George.
Supports 20 fish species, including sockeye, chinook, coho,
rainbow trout, bull trout, lake trout, burbot,
mountain white fish and white sturgeon.
Two very brave ducks
Another view of the river
A feather in the withered grass
(please click to enlarge)Came across this sign as we walked on one of the trails along the river bank. It reads:
The white sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in North America.
The Nechako white sturgeon is unique from all other sturgeon in British Columbia.
A large Nechako sturgeon can reach 3 metres in length and live to almost 100 years old!
There are now less than 600 white sturgeon remaining in the Nechako watershed.
White sturgeon do not begin spawning until they are 15 to 30 years old. The lack of young sturgeon in the Nechako means that an entire generation is already missing.
White sturgeon do not begin spawning until they are 15 to 30 years old. The lack of young sturgeon in the Nechako means that an entire generation is already missing.
There is more about the Nechako White Sturgeon recovery initiative at their website.
