Our Mission and Challenge

This mission is particularly important because the construction of dams in both the United States and Canada have isolated upper Columbia white sturgeon from those found in the nearby Kootenai River and the lower Columbia River. Click here to view full map.

Once abundant in the area from Grand Coulee Dam to Revelstoke, Canada, their decline has been dramatic. American and Canadian sponsored studies currently indicate about 3,000 adult white sturgeon remain. These remaining sturgeon are over 30 years old and show few signs of successful reproduction. Therefore, immediate action is required to avoid functional extinction within 40 years.