Boise, Idaho News, Weather and Traffic - KTRV Fox 12 - Tribe restoring sturgeon habitat
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Associated Press - August 3, 2009 1:44 PM ET
BONNERS FERRY, Idaho (AP) - The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho has crafted a habitat restoration plan for 55 miles of the Kootenai River.
It's all part of an effort to keep the river's white sturgeon population from sliding into extinction.
In the 1970s, an estimated 7,000 white sturgeon lurked in the river's cool, green depths. Only 800 to 1,000 adults remain - and that figure is shrinking by about 9% each year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Kootenai sturgeon are a distinct stock, evolving after the last ice age isolated them from Columbia River sturgeon. The freshwater giants can reach 8 feet in length, but they're slow to mature. The fish don't spawn until they're 30. Although females can live into their 70s, they lay eggs only every four to six years.
Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesmanreview.com
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