How old is Herman the Sturgeon, really? Bonneville Hatchery celebrates Herman's 'birthday'

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Bonneville Hatchery is celebrating the “birthday” of its unofficial mascot Herman the Sturgeon on June 22. While Herman was said to have turned 89 last year, Herman’s true age and identity aren’t so straightforward. 

Oregon Wildlife Foundation spokesperson Mo Montgomery confirmed with KOIN 6 News that there have been multiple Hermans over the years. The current Herman is estimated to be in his mid-to-late 80s. However, this fish’s exact age is not known.

“The only way to be certain about a sturgeon’s age involves post-mortem dissection, so we can only estimate at this time," Montgomery said.

The beloved 11-foot, 500-pound mascot was a staple of the Oregon State Fair for roughly 50 years. Several giant, quasi-ancient sturgeons were billed as Herman at various Oregon State Fairs between 1932 and 1985. To pull off the exhibit, the ODFW had to load Herman onto a truck bed fitted with an oversized fish tank and drive the fish to the state fairgrounds, where he would be on display for 11 days. The popular exhibit attracted hundreds of thousands of people each year. But in 1985 the trek killed one Herman and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife permanently canceled the annual showcase.

“Getting his humongous body back and forth to the fair and keeping him healthy and safe while he was there, became an issue,” an ODFW webpage on the history of Herman the Sturgeon reads. “Just getting Herman onto a fish tanker was a big job. Hatchery workers had to corral him in his pond, lift him up on a wet blanket, carry him to the truck and slide him in through the gate of a fish tank mounted on the back of a truck.”

Herman has suffered other documented deaths over the years. The sturgeon ponds where Herman was housed saw several disastrous break-ins between 1969 and the early 1990s. In 1969, an unknown person entered the Bonneville Hatchery sturgeon pond and repeatedly stabbed five large sturgeons. In 1982, vandals stole two sturgeons and caused a “severe cut” to a third sturgeon’s back.

In 1983, Herman was kidnapped from a hatchery viewing pond on the Roaring River in the middle of the night and was never seen again. In the early ‘90s, vandals tried to steal another Herman from a pond at the Bonneville Hatchery. Herman was badly injured during the failed fish-napping. Hatchery workers spent months nursing the fish back to health, and ultimately decided to set the injured Herman free in the Columbia River.

“Sturgeon are tough fish and can survive a lot, but they have their limits,” the ODFW website reads. “Herman didn't survive all of these attacks — or getting sick at the State Fair in the mid-'80s. So, several sturgeons have played the role through the years. Bonneville Hatchery managers estimate that four different sturgeons have played the role of 'Herman.'"  ‌

In 1998, the ODFW built a permanent tank for Herman the Sturgeon at the Bonneville Hatchery. The current Herman has been on display at the hatchery’s Sturgeon Viewing and Interpretive Center ever since.

On Saturday, the Oregon Wildlife Foundation is inviting the public to celebrate Herman IV’s “birthday” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery. The event will help raise funds for the repairs, improvements and updates to the hatchery’s Sturgeon Viewing and Interpretive Center, the organization announced.

“The Center is one of Oregon’s top visitor attractions,” the OWF said. “The Center has served its purpose and mission for over 25 years. However, prolonged exposure to Columbia River Gorge weather has taken a toll on the building, and the interpretive signage within it needs to better speak to a present-day audience.”