About 1,500 10-month-old white sturgeon were released into the Kootenay River on May 6 during an annual event (photos from 2013) hosted by the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (a partnership between the province of B.C., BC Hydro, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada), with support from the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, FortisBC, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, and Kootenai Tribe of Idaho.
The release has been going on since 1999, with a goal of helping to repopulate the endangered species. Out of every 1,000 sturgeon released, 280 will survive two years, 220 will survive five years and 190 will survive eight years. After 12 years, about 180 are still alive.