Swimming With A Western Dinosaur

By Joseph Friedrichs, 5-16-08

I’ve got a new challenge for all those people who think they’re hardcore by diving into a body of water during the winter just so they can be a part of the Polar Bear Club:  Take a dip into the Columbia River’s sturgeon ball.

Now that, my friends, is living.

During recent winters fisheries biologists have discovered an estimated 60,000 sturgeon - some of them 14 feet or longer - hanging in one massive group below Bonneville Dam. No one is certain why the sturgeon are congregating in a literal mountain of fish, but can you imagine swimming through such a wild assortment?

Sturgeon are no joke when it comes to discussing large fish. I once had a 12 footer jump in front of a jet boat on the Rogue River. Soiled shorts isn’t the right phrase, but it’s the first one that comes to mind.

Imagining tens of thousands of the West’s most mysterious fish rolling, sloshing and slithering on top of one another sent a deep chill up my spine when I read that they are hanging out in such large numbers below Bonneville Dam. Assumptions as to why the sturgeon are joining forces below the dam range from protection against sea lions to natural behavior.

So if you think you’re doing something really wild by jumping into cold water during the winter, I encourage you dive into an underwater mountain of giant, creepy fish. Now that’s doing something extreme.

For video footage of the sturgeon ball, click here.

Sturgeon photo courtesy of forbestraveler.com.