B.C. fisherman lands giant, 100-year-old sturgeon: see it here
"The fish are fine, everyone can relax."
Yves Bisson, the owner of Yves Bisson Sturgeon Co., says he has landed over 22,000 sturgeon on his fishing charters - but nothing will likely top one of his most recent finds.
The fishing guide recently caught and tagged a 3-metre-long sturgeon on the Fraser River in Chilliwack. He took a video of the fish - estimated to weigh 270 kilograms and be close to 100 years old - before re-releasing it back into the wild.
"Every year I get, like, one chance at a fish like this," Bisson tells The Weather Network.
"Sometimes you land it, and sometimes you don't."
Bisson says he was in "total shock" when they landed the giant fish.
"I might not see another fish like that my whole life."
Even more shocking was the fact the fish had no tag, meaning it has likely never been caught before.
Bisson's video has amassed more than 31 million times so far, and he's received a few questions about the well-being of the fish.
"The fish are fine, everyone can relax," he says with a smile.
"It swam away and it was probably 100 years old, and I'm assuming it'll live for another 100 years."
White sturgeon were overfished for a long time and as a result, their population was nearly wiped out in the early 1900s.
They are sought after for their roe, which is used to make caviar.
Bisson is part of a conservation program that regularly scans and tags sturgeon to collect data on the fish.
WATCH OUR EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH BISSON HERE
Video production: Kevin Clarke.
