In April, our Grade 4 and Grade 4/5 classes welcomed to Eastview Mr. Krahn to share his passion and his knowledge of an amazing aquatic species, the Fraser River Sturgeon.  The children's book, Tale of a Great White Fish written by Maggie De Vries, was the starting point ,and Mr. Krahn brought it to life in his presentation.  The life sized images of sturgeon that are displayed in our upper hall have captured all of our attention and raised our awareness of the uniqueness and importance of this ancient fish.

Q & A Courtesy of the students and Mr. Krahn

Do people eat sturgeon or do they just help sturgeon live for years and years?
    Sturgeon tastes really good.  When I was boy, we could have a big meal of fish and chips whenever we caught them.  In B.C. sturgeon are protected, however in Russia, they are killed for their eggs which is called "caviar".  It can sell for $880.00 a pound!  At one time, the value of sturgeon roe taken from sturgeon in the Fraser River was worth more than all the lumber produced by the forest industry that year.  Now, we hope the sturgeon will reproduce so that there will be enough for future generation to enjoy.

Do you know how long sturgeon can grow up to?
    The longest officially recorded in the Fraser River was over 5.6 meters long, but I have heard of fish over 6.5 meters long.  In Russia, the longest fish was over 10 meters long!

What do sturgeon eat?
    Sturgeon are scavengers which mean they like to eat dead rotten smelly things like dead salmon or other fish.  But they also like to eat worms and other fish eggs.  Some sturgeon go out in the Fraser River estuary where there is salt water and they will suck up shrimp and clams and worms from the mud...Yum!!

For more information on the conservation of the Fraser River sturgeon, go to www.frasersturgeon.com