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Catch of the day: Rescuers save 5-foot sturgeon in Idaho

BLACKFOOT, Idaho — A unique catch-and-release in Idaho allowed a large fish to get back home with the help of Idaho Fish and Game officials.

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Idaho Fish and Game officials were called to help a sturgeon that had been reported trapped in a canal in Blackfoot, officials said in a news release. When personnel arrived, at least a third of the fish’s body was above the water.

Video posted to YouTube by Idaho Fish and Game officials show the animal thrashing in the shallow water as two people go to rescue it. Crews were able to remove the animal, described as nearly 5 foot long, and put it in a tank filled with water to drive it to the nearby Snake River.

White sturgeon are the largest freshwater fish in North America, and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds and live over 100 years, according to Idaho Fish and Game. Because of the greatly reduced fish population in Idaho, the IDFG adopted catch-and-release-only regulations for white sturgeon in 1970.

Officials said they believe the sturgeon found in the canal simply worked its way up from the river and got stuck in lowered water levels.