Oregon State Police officials on Friday said they were seeking information about anglers who are accused of illegally harvesting an oversized sturgeon in a protected area of the Columbia River and uploading their video to social media.
Police received a tip that an oversized sturgeon was unlawfully taken at night in the Columbia River "within the protected sturgeon breeding sanctuary in Umatilla County,” a news release said.
The incident took place around May 9. A video of the event was posted to Snapchat under the username of "rodrigo" with an orange/yellow maple leaf emoji.
“The incident involves one person holding the fishing rod hooked to the fish while another person enters the water and wrestles the sturgeon to shore. This subject then lifts the sturgeon vertically by shoving his hands through the gills and out the mouth. The injuries to the sturgeon's gills were almost certainly fatal,” the news release said.
All sturgeon angling is closed within the breeding sanctuary from May 1 to Aug. 31 to protect breeding stock, officials said.
Male sturgeon do not breed until they are approximately 54 inches and roughly 10-15 years old, and females do not breed until they are approximately 66 inches or 15-25 years old.
“It takes many years for sturgeon to grow to breeding size and the one depicted in the video appears to be over 72 inches,” police said.Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Oregon State Police Dispatch at 1-800-452-7888, *OSP (*677), or email TIP@osp.oregon.gov . Please reference case number SP24-229621.
How to report poachers
The Turn In Poachers (TIP) offers preference point rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of big game mammals. Preference Point Rewards 5 Points: Bighorn sheep5 Points: Rocky Mountain goat5 Points: Moose5 Points: Wolf4 Points: Elk4 Points: Deer4 Points: Pronghorn antelope4 Points: Bear4 Points: CougarThe TIP program also offers cash rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of the following fish and wildlife species.
Cash Rewards Oregon Hunters Association cash rewards: $2,000 Bighorn sheep, mountain goat, or moose $1,000 Elk, deer or antelope $600 Bear, cougar or wolf$300 Habitat destruction $200 Illegally obtaining Oregon hunting or angling license or tags$200 Unlawful lending/borrowing big game tag(s)$200 Game fish and shellfish$200 Game birds or furbearers$200 Spotlighting$200 Snagging/attempt to snag Oregon Wildlife Coalition cash rewards: $500 Hawk, falcon, eagle, owl, osprey$500 Cougar, bobcat, beaver (public lands only), black bears, bighorn sheep, marten, fisher, Sierra Nevada red fox$1,000 Species listed as “threatened" or “endangered" under state or federal Endangered Species Act (excludes fish) Oregon Outfitters & Guides Association cash rewards: $200 Acting as an outfitter guide for the illegal killing of wildlife, illegally obtaining Oregon hunting or angling licenses or tags, or illegally offering to act as an outfitter guide as defined in ORS 704.010 and 704.020. How to Report a wildlife and/or habitat law violation or suspicious activity: TIP Hotline: 1-800-452-7888 or *OSP (*677)TIP email: TIP@osp.oregon.gov (monitored Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)For more information visit: www.oregon.gov/osp/programs/fw/Pages/tip.aspx
Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 16 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast . Urness is the author of “ Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon ” and “ Hiking Southern Oregon .” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon State Police seek anglers accused of illegally harvesting giant sturgeon
Local News
