Back to WATER INSIGHTS
.jpg)
By April Day, Publishing Consultant at Save the Water™ | September 26, 2026
Edited by Kayla Douglas, Publishing Associate: Editor at Save the Water™
Idaho promotes fishing. People come to CJ Strike Reservoir in Idaho to fish. But this summer, the Idaho Fish and Game Department found 16 dead white sturgeon. As a result, it closed part of the reservoir for fishing. Idaho Fish and Game blames drought conditions, high temperatures, and low water flow for the sturgeons’ death. The department decided to stop fishing until September 25 to try to help the sturgeon population survive.
The CJ Strike Dam makes the CJ Strike Reservoir. The reservoir is located on the Snake River in southwestern Idaho. People built the CJ Strike Dam between 1950 and 1952.
The reservoir has two main purposes:
The reservoir hosts a diverse fish population. People try to maintain the fish population through management and stocking fish.
White sturgeons aren’t listed as an endangered species in Snake River, but are endangered for Kootenai River populations. These sturgeons can grow to be very big and old.
White sturgeons are the largest freshwater fish in North America. Historically, they grew up to 20 feet. The oldest fish that humans recorded was 103 years old. The fish are usually 10-to-19 years old before they start reproducing.
This sturgeon population in Idaho is landlocked.
This year, the white sturgeons faced two threats. First, the water temperature on the surface was too high for them. Second, the water oxygen near the bottom was too low for them. This second problem is related to low oxygen levels in water that we are seeing worldwide.
These sturgeons only had a very narrow area where they could live. They were stressed. Sixteen of these sturgeon died.
The water quality was bad because the reservoir doesn’t get as much water as it used to. Water scarcity is a long term, worldwide problem.
Because of human-made dams, these sturgeon have a very different habitat now. For example, the Kootenai white sturgeons dealt with the Libby Dam. That dam altered the Kootenai River habitat, which reduced their possibility of reproducing.
The CJ Reservoir has the largest population of this sturgeon that are still reproducing in Idaho. But the fish haven’t reproduced for 10 years. The sturgeon’s ability to reproduce depends on good water quality. Rain, snow packs, and high water flow all help these sturgeons.
Save the Water™ is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to conduct research to identify and remove harmful contaminants in water and to raise public awareness about water contamination and its health impacts.
