A large sturgeon was spotted floating on its back in the lower Fraser River recently with a juvenile sturgeon down its throat.

Given the possibility it was an act of cannibalism due to scarce food sources for white sturgeon in the Fraser right now, itB次元官网网址檚 a big concern, according to officials with the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.

Sturgeon tagger Colin Bond of Surrey made the discovery. HeB次元官网网址檚 fished the Fraser for 30 years, and is also a volunteer for the Sturgeon Conservation Society, sampling and tagging the dinosaur fish for the society for more than a dozen years.

B次元官网网址淚 have seen many interesting and surprising sights, but I had never seen anything like this,B次元官网网址� Bond said.

He launched his boat near the Golden Ears bridge on Feb. 5. He observed the extremely strange sight while motoring upstream near Fort Langley.

Moving in he saw it was large adult sturgeon, approximately 160 centimetres (nearly 6 feet) in fork length (FL), which is the measurement in a line from the tip of the fishB次元官网网址檚 nose, to the fork in the tail.

Protruding from the sturgeonB次元官网网址檚 mouth was the tail of a smaller, juvenile sturgeon. It was wedged in past the gums and down the throat of the larger fish.

B次元官网网址淣either fish was moving. The large fish appeared to be rather thin and skinny for its size. I circled around the fish and took a few pictures,B次元官网网址� Bond said.

They were still, and appeared dead but they werenB次元官网网址檛.

B次元官网网址淭hen suddenly the tail of the small fish started to twitch. It was alive!B次元官网网址�

Bong had the sling in place. When he reached over the side of the boat and grabbed the sturgeon by its right pectoral fin, it jolted, appearing to come B次元官网网址渂ack to life.B次元官网网址�

The big fish jerked, thrashed and flipped over, with the smaller one still in its mouth.

B次元官网网址淚t swam off and then down, and out of sight. It came to the surface briefly and made one final splash, then went under, and I never saw either fish again,B次元官网网址� Bond recounted.

Sturgeon Conservation Society officials say the whole episode is very concerning, given the decreased food supply issues in the Fraser right now, and relentless decline of white sturgeon numbers in the Fraser since 2006.

B次元官网网址淭his observation of possibly cannibalistic behaviour is a first for adult fish,B次元官网网址� said Sarah Shreier, executive director of the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.

It comes on the heels of a stressed environment in the mighty Fraser.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a big concern for the overall health of the Fraser River,B次元官网网址� she said. Research indicates the sturgeon population is projected to continue to decline unless the health of the river vastly improves.

B次元官网网址淲e know fish do this when there is a low food supply, and there is definitely low food for sturgeon in the Fraser given the issues with salmon and eulachon,B次元官网网址� Shreier said. B次元官网网址淪o although we havenB次元官网网址檛 seen it before, it is possible due to those factors. Lots of other aquatic species also do this when they are short on food.B次元官网网址�

They wonB次元官网网址檛 ever know for sure.

Bond motored around looking to see if the fish had resurfaced after witnessing the rare sight. Eventually he continued upstream to his fishing location for the day, and when he returned downstream, he searched the banks of the river near the area where heB次元官网网址榙 seen the pair of sturgeon.

B次元官网网址淚 did not see them again, Bond said, adding he hoped they survived.

B次元官网网址淚 know I will be keeping an eye out for a six-foot sturgeon with a very, very sore throat, and a smaller one with a serious headache.B次元官网网址�

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