A 79-year-old, 500-pound sturgeon survives Oregon wildfires

Known as “Herman the Sturgeon,” the celebrity whopper of a fish has survived a large wildfire that has burned more than 30,000 acres in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge, according to the Cox Media Group on Friday.

As the fire closed in on three fish hatcheries where Herman resides, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife evacuated those hatcheries ahead of schedule, according to the Cox Media Group.

Ash and debris from the fire can clog hatchery intakes, which can result in respiratory problems for the fish.

But the main attraction at the Sturgeon Viewing Interpretive Center at the Bonneville Hatchery, Herman the Sturgeon, was safe from the fire because he lives in a viewing pond fed by a well, according to Cox Media Group.

The fish has beat back life threats before as he was kidnapped in the middle of the night from a viewing pond in 1983; and recovered from many multiple stab wounds from a man who jumped into his pond to attack him, according to the news report.

Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-226-4691, mthomas@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MaThomas_Trib.