Salem man serves jail time, owes thousands for poaching giant white sturgeon

A Salem man served jail time and owes thousands in fines for poaching a giant white sturgeon and four oversized sturgeon in Scappoose Bay in 2022, according to Oregon State Police.

Julio Duran pleaded guilty to felony take/possession of a giant white sturgeon — a fish which was over 7 feet long and 80 years old. Duran, who also pleaded guilty to take/possession of four additional oversized sturgeons, served 20 days in the Columbia County jail and owes $5,000 in restitution.

In the same incident, a Dayton man and St. Helens man pleaded guilty to angling without a license.

What happened?

In 2022, a group of anglers were fishing from the banks of Scappoose Bay. They noticed people fishing from a boat had caught a sturgeon but did not release it as required by law, OSP said.

The anglers reported what they saw to wildlife troopers, who began monitoring the area. After two days of surveillance, troopers approached the men when they were moored at the dock.

"The subjects claimed that they had not caught any fish," OSP said in a news release. "However, troopers could see two lines extending from the dock into the water. When they pulled up the lines, they found four live sturgeon, ranging in size from 5 feet to more than 7 feet long. All four were secured under water so they would remain alive.  While inspecting the boat, troopers found an additional large white sturgeon, about 5 feet long."

All five sturgeon were released back into the bay alive, officials said.

Lower sturgeon populations lead to laws against harvesting

In recent years, lower populations of the slow-growing fish have led to laws against harvesting them, while catch and release still is allowed.

"Sturgeon are long-lived and revered as 'living fossils' because they have remained nearly unchanged since they first evolved around 200 million years ago," the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a news release.

"Sturgeon don’t reach breeding maturity until they are about 20 years old, and about 6 feet long. They can live more than 100 years. Older female sturgeon can produce ten times the number of eggs as young females. Poachers who take these giants contribute to an ongoing reduction of the fishery," the state agency said.

In addition to the jail time and fines, Duran was sentenced to 36 months’ probation and a three-year angling license suspension. He forfeited the fishing rods and equipment used during the crime.

The Dayton man was sentenced to 10 days on a Columbia County work crew, or 80 hours of community service, and 24 months of bench probation. He must pay $750 in restitution and is suspended from fishing for three years.

The St. Helens man was sentenced to 24 months bench probation, must pay $500 in restitution and is suspended from fishing for three years.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon man gets jail time, owes thousands for poaching white sturgeon