Malaspina launches fundraising campaign for international sturgeon research centre

Malaspina University-College in Nanaimo plans to build a $4.6-million International Centre for Sturgeon Studies where researchers will unlock the mysteries of these ancient fish and try to save sturgeon species worldwide.

So far, Malaspina has received funding commitments of $1.6-million each from the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for the new Centre.

Now Malaspina is launching a campaign to raise a minimum of $800,000 to ensure that construction starts by September 2005.

"We are extremely grateful to the BCKDF and CFI for supporting this important initiative," said Malaspina president Rich Johnston. "Our fundraising team, led by Signy Madden, Senior Development Officer of the Malaspina Foundation, and Dr. Dick Beamish, the senior scientist at the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, and our own Research Office, will approach corporate donors, business, industry and government agencies across B.C. and Canada to raise the balance of the funds. We’re optimistic that additional financial support will be forthcoming."

While the minimum goal is $800,000, Malaspina hopes to raise an additional $600,000 to include a public education component in the new Centre, where school children and the public can learn about sturgeon conservation and protection, ecology and watersheds.

Commenting on BCKDF’s support for the project, Minister of Advanced Education Ida Chong said, "The research planned at the International Centre for Sturgeon Studies will have far-reaching environmental, economic and health benefits for British Columbia. Government support of projects like this allows us to build on our commitment to lead the world in sustainable environmental management."

MLA Mike Hunter said, "Malaspina University-College has long been a leader and innovator in sturgeon research in B.C. This new Centre will support and expand Malaspina’s expertise in this area to national and international levels."

Malaspina University-College scientist Dr. John Morgan said almost all of the world’s 28 species or subspecies of sturgeon are endangered, threatened or near extinction.

"Poaching, pollution, overfishing and loss of habitat threaten their survival," said Dr. Morgan. "These prehistoric fish have been around for over 200 million years. Saving them is vital. They are at the top of the aquatic food chain. Healthy wild sturgeon populations are a key indicator of environmentally healthy river ecosystems."

Nine species of sturgeon are found in North America, including five in Canada and two on the Pacific Coast - green sturgeon and white sturgeon. In B.C., white sturgeon live in the Fraser and Columbia river systems, with the largest populations in the lower Fraser River.

Dr. Morgan said the World Sturgeon Conservation Society has identified a need for a dedicated sturgeon research centre in North America. Building the centre in Nanaimo makes sense because Malaspina has been a leader in sturgeon research in B.C. for over 20 years, he said.

Malaspina is the only academic institution in western Canada to have captive white sturgeon broodstock - fish old enough to spawn. In 1991, researchers successfully conducted the first-ever captive spawning of Fraser River white sturgeon. In 2000, 2001 and 2004, Malaspina provided fertilized eggs and fry for the start-up of B.C.’s only commercial white sturgeon culture operation in Sechelt, B.C.

Dr. Morgan said new research initiatives at the International Centre for Sturgeon Studies will address the conservation and protection of sturgeon species worldwide, and investigate the viability of environmentally responsible sturgeon aquaculture through land-based, closed containment facilities in B.C. and across Canada.

"Research is needed to ensure that if any expansion of sturgeon aquaculture takes place, it does so in an environmentally sustainable manner," said Dr. Morgan.

Plans for the new Centre include state-of-the-art fish holding facilities, fresh water recirculation technology, three wet laboratories, a dry lab for sample processing and analysis, and lab equipment for specialized research in environmental physiology, forensic, nutrition, health, reproduction and genetic research.

Dr. David Thomas, Malaspina’s vice-president, instruction and research, said the new Centre "will provide valuable training opportunities for faculty and students, and significantly expand our knowledge about sturgeon at regional, provincial, national and international levels."

"The Centre will bring together a team of researchers from across Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia and encourage collaboration among institutions around the world," he added. "Research conducted at the new centre will assist our partners in academia, government, industry, First Nations and environmental non-governmental organizations in their sturgeon research efforts."

For further information, check the website at: viu.ca/sturgeon or call Dr. John Morgan (250) 753-3245, local 2542, email: morganj@viu.ca or Dr. David Lane (250) 753-3245, local 6372, email: lanefish@viu.ca.

-30-

Key facts about Sturgeon:

* Sturgeon are prehistoric fish, often called living fossils. They date back to the Jurassic period over 200 million years ago.

* They are the largest freshwater fish in the world.

* Sturgeon can live for 150 years.

* They only live in the northern hemisphere. Worldwide, there are 28 species or subspecies of sturgeon, including five species in Canada.

* The biggest species in the world is the Beluga sturgeon found in the Caspian Sea in Iran. They can grow to 26 feet in length and weigh over 3,000 pounds.

* The white sturgeon, found in North America (including B.C.) can grow to over 19 feet and weigh over 1,700 pounds.

* In B.C., white sturgeon live in the Fraser and Columbia river systems, although there have been sightings in the Somass River in Port Alberni, the Nanaimo River and other coastal rivers.

* It is widely believed that the very large (1,000 pound-and-over specimens) have been fished out.

* In 1897, a white sturgeon was landed in New Westminster, weighing 1,384 pounds, possibly one of the last of the big fish in the Fraser River.

* Although they look like sharks, sturgeon are not related to sharks at all.

* Sturgeon have five rows of bony plates called "scutes" running down their body, and four "barebells" or whiskers hanging down in front of their mouth.

* Sturgeon do not have any teeth, and feed mostly on fish, dead or alive.

* Sturgeon eggs, known as true caviar, are a gourmet delicacy, and sturgeon fillets are widely prized. The caviar industry worldwide generates some $100-million in annual sales, making it one of the world’s most valuable wildlife resources.

* The most expensive caviar comes from the Beluga sturgeon.

* In the United Kingdom, sturgeon are known as the "Royal Fish." According to medieval law, anyone who catches a sturgeon must present it to the Queen.

* California has developed a multi-million dollar commercial sturgeon farming industry for both meat and caviar, due largely to the efforts of researchers at the University of California, Davis.

* Sturgeon farms are considered by ecology and conservation-minded organizations such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium to offer an eco-friendly alternative because the closed containment farming methods do not pollute local water or reduce wild stocks.

* In B.C., white sturgeon provide a catch and release sport fishery worth millions of dollars annually in the lower Fraser River.

* B.C. white sturgeon are being considered for endangered species status under the federal government’s Species at Risk Act.