Pictures of the world’s largest sturgeon are going viral on social media. Albino sea urchins were obtained from the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada. The fish caught was 11 feet long and weighed more than 1,000 pounds (453 Kg). Those in the field say that this is a world record.
British Columbia’s Fraser River has long been known for its large white sturgeon. These fish are usually seen in gray color. But this time it is white in color. The fish was caught by Chad Helmer and his crew. ‘A biologist was calling me on the phone. They said they had never seen anything like it before. I haven’t seen either’-says Helmer.
After taking photos on the shore, Helmer released the albino sturgeon back into the river. “No one in the world has ever caught an albino sturgeon of this size,” Helmer wrote on social media. Helmer’s family has been fishing the Fraser River for 40 years and has caught thousands of sea urchins. But they also say that this is the first time such a big one.
No world records are held for albino sturgeon. And since most of these giant white sturgeon are caught and then returned, official world records cannot be verified. To weigh the fish on a certified scale, it must be killed. Because of this, the IGFA world record for a white sturgeon is only 468 pounds. The sea urchin caught now is estimated to weigh over 1,000 pounds.