In almost 1,500 personal conversations, good contacts were established in fishing communities along the Danube and the Black Sea coast. Together with members of the communities, 11 business plans were developed. New local products or services (gastronomical points selling freshly caught fish, boat trips with fishermen, e-bike rental, apple cider production or a sturgeon exhibition centre) can offer economic opportunities in areas that lost previous revenues from sturgeon fishery and consequently reduce poaching pressure on sturgeons. In Bulgaria, 24 fishermen were trained in scientific sturgeon monitoring. Of exceptional importance for sturgeon, conservation is that fishermen started to report and release sturgeon bycatch. 253 photos of 91 individual sturgeons were sent to the project team by fishermen in Bulgaria. 

The legal protection of sturgeons and its enforcement in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine were improved through targeted capacity building with information brochures and videos (see PROJECT MATERIALS -> 1. Project Brochures & Training Videos) as well as with training courses and study visits for more than 600 officials. In the Ukrainian Danube delta, volunteer `Sturgeon Watchers´ joined law enforcement patrols and protected sturgeons on their downstream migration. As a result of all these measures, an increase in control activities and significantly more seizures were observed.

In terms of better governance, the achievements are remarkable as well: In Ukraine, a major legal loophole has been closed and border controls are now being carried out on sturgeons and other endangered species. In the Ukrainian Danube delta, strict fishing regulations have been imposed and a first surveillance camera is helping the authorities to fight poaching. In Serbia, as a result of a project campaign with fishermen and anglers, an unlimited catch ban for sterlet (the only sturgeon species that could still be legally caught in the region) was accomplished, which means the protection of all wild sturgeons in the entire region. The very good news is that the temporary ban on sturgeon fishing has been extended for another 5 years in Bulgaria and has even been converted into a permanent ban in Romania.

A market survey investigated the trade of sturgeon meat and caviar and found high levels of illegal trade in all four countries. Of 145 samples, 30% were sold illegally. 27 samples were from wild-caught sturgeon, 17 samples were caviar sold in violation of CITES regulations. 

In addition, 214 cases of illegality were compiled from authorities. In 5 years, more than 600 sturgeon specimens were reported poached and in Bulgaria alone, a minimum of 594 illegal hook lines was confiscated. The full report and a factsheet were published and received very encouraging reactions from experts and international bodies (FAO, EUROPOL, INTERPOL, UNODC, WCO, FRONTEX, etc.).

The project team is very grateful for the support of the European Union and in particular of the stakeholders and experts in the project region and at the international level. We hope that sturgeons in the Lower Danube Region will have a better and safer future and that successful approaches to this project will boost sturgeon conservation in other parts of their range.

For more information, please see PROJECT RESULTS and PROJECT MATERIALS or contact sturgeons@wwf.at

26 April 2021 – Hot on the heels of the release of WWF’s sturgeon market survey last week that detailed the systemic poaching of critically endangered sturgeon along the Lower Danube, there is some fantastic conservation news from Romania.  Romania has taken a firm decision to indefinitely extend its 5-year temporary ban on fishing and selling of all 6 wild sturgeon species and wild sturgeon products. The decision was supported by scientific evidence gathered during WWF’s Life for Danube Sturgeon Project. The decision follows a long campaign by WWF and many other conservation organisations. Romania has now joined other countries in the region where sturgeon fishing has been permanently banned. Bulgaria remains the last country in the Black Sea Basin without a permanent ban in place, but it extended its temporary ban on sturgeon fishing in its Danube and the Black Sea territory in January for another five years.

“Sturgeons are long-lived species and take decades to recover from their critical status. A fishing ban without the previous 5-year limitation is the right step forward,” – Beate Striebel, WWF’s Sturgeon Initiative Lead. 

According to the sturgeon market survey conducted by WWF in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine in 2016-2020, poaching and the illegal market for caviar and wild sturgeon meat are among the most serious threats to sturgeon survival in the Lower Danube basin. During the survey, meat and caviar samples were gathered from retailers, restaurants, markets, intermediaries, aquaculture facilities, fishermen and online offers. Although fishing and selling wild sturgeon (and products) are prohibited in all these countries, the market survey showed that poaching and illegal selling and buying of wild sturgeon and sturgeon products are widespread in the region. 

A very important condition of the bans in Bulgaria and Romania is the additional requirement for fishermen to report sturgeon bycatch and release it immediately in the respective river basin, regardless of their state of health. Bycatch remains a large threat for sturgeon species in the Danube and the Black Sea but very little is known about the numbers of fish that are accidentally caught. This change is significant because it will enable more efficient enforcement and help us better understand the volume and circumstances of bycatch. The ban also completely prohibits the use of any fishing equipment specifically used for catching sturgeon, such as ohanas and karmaks. 

“Extending the ban indefinitely is an important step in sturgeon conservation. But it is not enough. An integrated and fair approach means working with fishing communities from communication, to involvement in conservation activities and alternative solutions to lost income, better law enforcement, proper research and monitoring, maintaining migration routes and last but not least, awareness of sturgeon products consumers in terms of their legality.” – Cristina Munteanu, Coordinator of the Save Danube Sturgeons Life Natura Project, WWF-Romania

WWF-CEE is currently involved in two sturgeon conservation projects tackling sturgeon poaching In Romania. The MEASURES project aims to create ecological corridors by identifying key habitats and initiating protection measures along the Danube and its main tributaries. MEASURES has also released over 9000 baby sturgeon into the Danube.  Sturgeon are further helped through the SWIPE (Successful Wildlife Crime Prosecution in Europe) project, which aims to discourage and ultimately reduce wildlife crime by improving compliance with EU environmental law and increasing the number of successfully prosecuted offences.

WWF appreciates the increasingly strong commitment made by Romania and Bulgaria in taking crucial steps for the survival of sturgeons in the Green Heart of Europe.

For more information:

Cristina Munteanu

Project Manager, 

WWF-Romania

Tel: +40 743 768 767, cmunteanu@wwf.ro

Background

Sturgeons used to be present in almost all European rivers, but today seven out of the eight species of sturgeon on the European continent are threatened with extinction. Sturgeons have survived the dinosaurs but now teeter on the brink of extinction. The Black Sea Region is crucial to the survival of these species in Europe. The Danube and the Rioni River in Georgia are the only two rivers remaining in Europe where migrating sturgeons reproduce naturally. The main reasons are overfishing and loss of habitat through dams that block migration routes or in-river constructions, facilitating navigation. These are often detrimental to the feeding and spawning habitats, necessary for sturgeon survival. Within the EU the only river with naturally reproducing sturgeon populations remains the Danube. Crucial but no longer reproductive stocks are left in the Po River in Italy and the Gironde in France. Restocking activities take place in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands. Our priority is to identify and protect the critical habitats of the remaining four sturgeon species (Huso huso, Acipenser stellatus, A. ruthenus, A. gueldenstaedtii) in the Lower Danube and the north-western Black Sea, as well as to reduce pressure on their remaining populations by addressing poaching and ensuring protection. 

Sturgeon and other migratory fish species represent the historical, economic and natural heritage of the Danube. Furthermore, they are indicators of the ecological status of the river’s watercourses, especially concerning the function of the river as an ecological corridor. Yet, according to the recently released World’s Forgotten Fishes Report, populations of migratory freshwater fish have fallen by 76 per cent since 1970, and mega-fish such as sturgeons by a catastrophic 94 per cent.

• Almost 1/3 of sturgeon caviar and meat products in four key countries were sold illegally.

• 214 cases of poaching related incidents were recorded by authorities.

• 7 out of 8 sturgeon species in Europe are threatened with extinction.

Vienna, 12 April – With all but one of Europe’s remaining sturgeon species facing extinction, a new report details the scale of the poaching and illegal trade in wild sturgeon caviar and meat in the lower Danube and Black Sea, which threatens the survival of these iconic fish.

Published today, WWF’s new market survey found that one third of the sturgeon meat and caviar products in four key sturgeon countries – Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine – were sold illegally. Specifically, 19 per cent of all samples came from wild sturgeon, which cannot currently be legally caught or traded anywhere in the region, while another 12 per cent did not comply with international trade regulations.

“Sturgeon are already the most endangered group of species on Earth and this alarming report details one of the gravest threats to their survival: the ongoing poaching of sturgeon in the lower Danube and Black Sea regions to meet demand for illegal wild caviar and meat,” said Beate Striebel, WWF Lead, Global Sturgeon initiative. “This report proves that wildlife crime is not just about tiger bones, elephant tusks and rhino horns, but also about wild sturgeon products – and it is happening right now, right here in Europe. We all need to work together to halt it.”

Samples of sturgeon caviar and meat were collected in the Lower Danube and in the north-western Black Sea region – two of the last places in Europe that still harbour naturally replenishing sturgeon populations. The samples were taken from across the entire trade chain, including restaurants, bars, shops, supermarkets, local markets, aquaculture facilities, fishermen and online offers. All samples underwent both DNA and isotope testing.

“Very few market surveys on the sturgeon trade exist, and this is the only one so far that combines two state-of-the-art forensic methods, which is crucial to detect illegal trade,” said Arne Ludwig, IZW genetics expert, Co-Chair IUCN Sturgeon Specialist Group and co-author of the report.

The study also incorporates official data on poaching and illegal fishing activities. Overall, 214 cases of poaching-related incidents were recorded from 2016-2020 in Romania (82 cases), Bulgaria (82 cases) and Ukraine (50 cases) – countries where all fishing for, and trade in, wild Danube sturgeon species are prohibited.

These incidents included seizures of sturgeon in boats or fishing nets, seizures of illegal sturgeon fishing gear, transportation of poached sturgeon, and sale of caviar or meat of poached sturgeon. In Bulgaria alone, 594 illegal hook lines were detected, adding up to more than 23.5 km. Just last month there were several new reported poaching cases in Ukraine and Romania.

“We have to assume that these results are just the tip of the trafficking iceberg, underlining how much demand there still is for illegal wild sturgeon products and how serious this threat is to the future of Europe’s last wild breeding populations of sturgeon,” said Jutta Jahrl, WWF Project Manager. “Tackling the illegal trade in sturgeon crime is a key pillar of WWF’s ambitious global Sturgeon Initiative and with this new data, we are shining a spotlight on this critical issue.“

Along with its key statistical findings, the report also recommends a series of actions to enhance efforts to halt poaching and illegal sturgeon trafficking across the region. The recommendations included enhanced controls of domestic trade; improved inter-agency cooperation and coordination; increased border controls; and the use of more state-of-the-art forensic analysis and market surveys. In countries where CITES caviar labelling is not yet implemented for domestic markets, the introduction of such a provision is urgently needed.

-ENDS-

For more information:

Jutta Jahrl, Project Manager, WWF-Austria: +43 1 48817 264, jutta.jahrl@wwf.at

Richard Lee, WWF Global Freshwater Communications Manager, +31654287956, rlee@wwfint.org 

• Fact sheet

Test results

• Isotope analysis proved that wild sturgeon products were being sold in all four countries. Of the 145 samples tested, 19% (27 out of all 145) proved to be from wild sturgeon – 25 were meat and 2 were caviar
• 17 samples of caviar (12% of all samples and 29% of all caviar samples) were sold without compliance with mandatory CITES regulations. For international trade it is illegal to trade caviar without mandatory CITES labelling, or without correct codes for species or country of origin. For EU Member states this applies also on the domestic market.

DNA Testing: Three lines of DNA evidence were combined to determine the species or hybrid of origin, allowing a high degree of certainty of the results: (1) Mitochondrial DNA sequence polymorphism for species identification (2) microsatellites for ploidy and (3) Single Nucleotide Polymorphism genotyping for hybrid determination.

Isotope analysis: Stable isotope analysis was applied to deliver information on the “production method” (wild versus farmed) of samples, using the proxy of the isotope composition of sturgeon feed, and in parts on the geographical origin.

Background

Sturgeons used to be present in almost all European rivers, but today seven out of the eight species of sturgeon on the European continent are threatened with extinction. Sturgeons have survived the dinosaurs, but now teeter on the brink of extinction. The Black Sea Region is crucial to the survival of these species in Europe. The Danube and the Rioni River in Georgia are the only two rivers remaining in Europe where migrating sturgeons reproduce naturally. The main reasons are overfishing and loss of habitat through dams that block migration routes or in-river constructions, facilitating navigation. These are often detrimental to the feeding and spawning habitats, necessary for sturgeon survival. Within the EU the only river with naturally reproducing sturgeon populations remains the Danube. Crucial but no longer reproductive stocks are left in the Po River in Italy and the Gironde in France. Restocking activities take place in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, France, Germany, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands. 

This activity was part of the EU-funded LIFE project “Sustainable Protection of Lower Danube Sturgeons by Preventing and Counteracting Poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trade” (LIFE FOR DANUBE STURGEONS, LIFE 15 GIE/AT/001004), focused on Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine. 

About WWF

WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. www.panda.org

The video was financed by the Danube Transnational Programme project “MEASURES” and in the spirit of collaboration included information about the activities and results of the LIFE for Danube Sturgeons project. The film, which goes into details about the rivers longitudinal connectivity and the sturgeon restocking done under the MEASURES project, also showed the importance of the work with law enforcement authorities and fishermen. It will be aired again in 2021 on the following channels – Jan-March 2021 on TVR 2, TVR Moldova, TVR Cluj, TVR Mures, TVR Craiova, TVR Timisoara.

After an overview of the project and its activities, presented by the project coordinator Jutta Jahrl, the participants met George Caracas from Romania who explained the work with fishermen as “Sturgeon Advocate”. This initiative has proven an effective way to build trustful relationships with fishermen through a direct contact person. Cristina Munteanu demonstrated the development of alternative businesses for fishing communities, with business plans related to tourism and local gastronomic points in Borcea and Fetești.

In place of a joint lunch, the team shared the preliminary results of the market survey, which will be published in early 2021 and included many samples of wild sturgeons, as well as catfish, which was sold as sturgeon meat.

The next stop of the study visit was Serbia, where a successful nation-wide campaign of WWF together with fishermen and anglers was presented by Ivana Grubisic. As a result, a moratorium for fishing and trade of Sterlet was imposed. With that ban, all sturgeon species in the whole Lower Danube region finally received the much-needed protection.

In Bulgaria, participants learned from Borislava Margaritova how fishermen can be involved in sturgeon monitoring. In this pilot activity, fishermen from the Danube and the Black sea were trained in sturgeon monitoring methods, necessary for ichthyological research and several of them received telephones with which they can send pictures of sturgeon bycatch. The project team received over 250 photographs of sturgeon bycatch, and how they released the fish. This information is very valuable for the sturgeon experts and it also allows the fishermen to take ownership of sturgeon conservation efforts. The only current data on sturgeon in Bulgaria is the data obtained from the annual surveys of WWF Bulgaria, where fishermen were involved, as well as the data obtained from the smartphones distributed to fishermen.

The last station of the trip was the Ukrainian Danube delta with Inna Hoch, where operations with volunteers – the so-called “Sturgeon Watchers” – have been organised to protect sturgeons on their downstream migration, through joint patrols with law enforcement officials, in early summer for four consecutive years. This very useful activity will be continued by the Ukrainian Danube Biosphere Reserve.

Finally, the participants were asked to consider which of the presented activities they would take up in future projects in their countries and the most preferred options were the pilot activities like the “Sturgeon Watchers”, the monitoring of sturgeons by fishermen, and advocating and communicating about sturgeon protection with the local communities. More information about these and other project activities can be found on this website or by contacting anyone from the project team.

Nikopol is economically undeveloped and suffers from macroeconomic setbacks such as emigration, unemployment and unfavourable demographic trends – typical for much of Northern Bulgaria. Its rich historical heritage and fabulous natural resources (the Danube River, Nikopol’s Plateau and a group of islands that fall under the protection of Nature Park “Persina”) have been overlooked so far as a source of economic prosperity and sustainable living. Assisting fishermen communities to locate and use subsidies and acquire new knowledge and qualifications in order to start alternative entrepreneurial initiatives to fishing will contribute to their financial stability and that in turn will limit illegal sturgeon catching.

If the project proposal receives the necessary funding, fishermen will organise a variety of tourist activities, targeting predominantly guests from the region. The services they plan to offer include boat tours to the Danube islands in the area, fishing demonstrations and small picnics. The fishermen will be trained in hospitality approaches, their boats will receive the necessary health and safety upgrades and the activities will have a continuous marketing and advertising support.

With WWF support, the fishing association developed a business plan and integrated it with another initiative from Nikopol to create a well-rounded proposal to encourage sustainable tourism. The proposal was submitted for funding with America for Bulgaria foundation and the final decision is expected in the beginning of 2021. However, due to the current pandemic and the nature of the proposed activities, it is possible that the process will be postponed. It is still a very important step towards developing better economic opportunities for fishing communities, so their dependency on fishing and the temptation to illegally catch precious endangered species like sturgeons, is significantly lessened.

Why use fishermen for sturgeon monitoring?

Without systematic data on the state of sturgeon populations, measures for their protection risk missing the mark. For the past 8 years, WWF has been the only organization in Bulgaria, collecting such information through painstaking efforts. Community involvement is essential to species survival success and we have seen first hand how important it is for communities to actively steward the natural resources around them to improve economic and social well-being. One of the ways we do that is by involving fishermen from the communities located at the shores of the Danube river and the Black Sea  in sturgeon monitoring activities. 

Impressive outcomes

For the period of working closely with local fishermen on sturgeon monitoring (July 2018 – September 2020), a total of 253 photos and videos of sturgeon – 60 photos from the Danube and 193 from the Black Sea – were sent to WWF Bulgaria. The majority of the photos from the Black sea area were taken from October to February, while the Danube fishermen came across sturgeon species mainly in the period from April to August, including young-of-the-year fish, juvenile and adult sturgeons.

Species-wise, photos of Stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus) were sent most often – 57 photos and videos, followed by 16 Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), 12 Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), 4 Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) and 2 hybrids. Out of the 16 Russian sturgeon specimens that the fishermen came across, 13 were young-of-the-year fish and most likely part of the restocking conducted in 2019 by WWF-Bulgaria. That leaves 3 wild specimens, which show a very worrying trend that the Russian sturgeon is one of the rarest species, followed with the Beluga sturgeon.

Empowering local fishing communities to protect sturgeon

During the existing ban on sturgeon catches, data on sturgeon occurrence is collected in two main ways – through scientific research, conducted by WWF and through fishermen, reporting to us accidental bycatch. Fishermen are obliged to immediately release sturgeon caught as bycatch, but are not required to notify the relevant authorities or register these catches anywhere. To enable the monitoring activity in a way that it generates reliable and consistent data, the WWF Bulgaria’s freshwater expert Borislava Margaritova delivered a series of trainings to fishermen, and several of them were provided with mobile smartphones with camera and geolocation as part of the LIFE Programme co-funded project “LIFE for Danube Sturgeons”. In this way, fishermen are not only involved in sturgeon research, but also enhance their understanding, appreciation and ownership for sturgeon conservation. Furthermore, these fishermen were trained to assist any future activities, which should be conducted on many fish species and which the state has an obligation to monitor. 

The results highlight the importance of the work of the sturgeon advocates, who have been pivotal in the “LIFE for Danube Sturgeons” project, which expanded to include the Black sea. There, our sturgeon advocate is actively collaborating with fishermen in the north areas of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast which contributed to collection of 147 photos of 46 specimens. Fishermen in the area tend to work small-scale, in shallow waters, and their sturgeon catches consist mainly of juvenile fish (young-of-the-year and juvenile fish).

Borislava Margaritova advised: “It is important that we try to maintain the established trusting relationship with the fishermen beyond the scope and the lifetime of the project work. An important factor for the collaboration in future is to continue the practice to visit these fishing communities on a regular basis, not just once or twice a year and listen to their grievances. Only then we will have the chance to observe positive and sustainable results in our attempts to reverse the accelerated disappearance of sturgeon.“

Background

After the introduction of the much necessary ban in 2011, the Bulgariam Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (EAFA) has no information about the state of sturgeon populations either in the Danube or in the Black Sea, as there is no data collection performed by the National Biodiversity Monitoring System (NBMS). The only data on sturgeon in Bulgaria as per November 2020 is the data obtained from the annual surveys of WWF Bulgaria on the Danube, as well as the data obtained from the smartphones distributed to fishermen.

Together with the legal framework, the brochure also presents a few example sturgeon court cases, which were resolved in the project countries. It gives a synopsis of infringement, the legal arguments and the court’s decision. This is the first of a WWF series of information materials, aimed at prosecutors and investigators. If you are a legal professional and interested in this topic, please contact us and we will provide further information about WWF’s planned activities and materials. 

The brochure can be downloaded from this website in English and is also translated in the project languages – Bulgarian, Romanian, Serbian and Ukrainian.

In April this year, WWF-Romania reported that 66 frozen Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) were discovered by the Romanian Border Police in a car trunk in Tulcea County. In Romania, it has been illegal to fish for sturgeon since 2006.

This time the policemen from the Danube Delta Police Service, together with the policemen from the Argeș Public Order Service, found in flagrante delicto three men, aged between 41 and 46, all from Mehedinți County, who were offering sturgeon sub-products for sale (caviar) to three other men, aged between 51 and 55, from Galati County. The price of sturgeon caviar can cost up to 10,000 Euro per kilo, which makes sturgeon caviar trade particularly appealing despite being illegal. Factors that bring the caviar’s price up is the embedded association of caviar being a sign for luxury and the fact that it takes at least 8 years, sometimes even more depending on the type of sturgeon species, for sturgeons to become mature and ready to reproduce.

The Tulcea policemen from the Delta Police, who carried out the action of catching the 6 people in flagrant crime in Argeș County, made unavailable no less than 23.6 kilograms of black caviar transported in 40 glass containers. The confiscated sturgeon sub-products are estimated to have a market value of approximately 50,000 euros. The products were seized for examination and the car was confiscated.

According to a TRAFFIC report compiled for WWF in 2011, a total of 14 seizures of illegal caviar originating from Bulgaria (27.5 kg in five seizures) and Romania (25 kg in nine seizures) were reported by six EU Member States between 2000 and 2009. The persistent illegal trade in caviar was also demonstrated in a first-time caviar market survey in Romania and Bulgaria, conducted by WWF in 2011-2012, with 30 samples collected and DNA tested. The study confirmed that illegal fishing of sturgeons and illegal trade in caviar continues in spite of the moratoria. The findings demonstrate clear contraventions of CITES labeling provisions and the European Union Wildlife Trade Regulations. In addition, they suggest that caviar of wild sturgeons is offered for sale.

Overfishing – mainly for caviar – remains the main direct threat to the survival of Danube sturgeons.

Once again, it turned out that the dead of night is the time when poachers are most active. However, fish wardens around the Banat Region are working hard to preserve Serbian fish stock, including sturgeon species like sterlet. As pure freshwater species, the sterlet does not need to migrate to the Black Sea. The sterlet is the most common sturgeon in the Danube River Basin and the only one found above the Iron Gate Dams. But even their fate is not looking too prosperous, as according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the sterlet population fell by about 70 percent in the 20^th century.

Whereas fishing of all sturgeon species is now banned or permanently forbidden in most Danube and all Black Sea range countries, fishing for sterlet is still allowed and regulated with closed seasons and minimum catch sizes in Croatia, Slovakia and parts of Austria. Serbia introduced a permanent ban on sterlet fishing recently, entering into force on January 1, 2019. WWF-Adria’s initiative was supported by United Anglers of Serbia and the Association of Commercial Fishermen. “A strict enforcement of this ban and a monitoring of its effects are important to follow suite,” said Vesna Maksimovic, Sturgeon Project Officer, WWF-Adria

This need was again demonstrated by the detection of illegal sturgeon catches in the Tisza River recently. Since sturgeons like to swim on the gravelly bottom, the present low water level in the Tisza River has enabled poachers to set nets under more favourable conditions in the shallows. This was the case when fish wardens discovered 7 young sterlet trapped in an unmarked 80 metre net on July 21 at the Tisza’s 51st km. The fish were immediately released and returned alive to the river, as required by law.

Fish wardens of the Zrenjanin Nature Reserve, responsible for the Banat fishing area, will continue to monitor the situation and search for the perpetrator.

While it is yet another indication of continued poaching of the most endangered group of species on the planet, the good news is that it is proof that some sterlets still remain in Tisza River.

In order to better coordinate and boost conservation efforts for sturgeons in Serbia, an expert advisory group has been formed in Serbia last month, consisting of representatives of legislative bodies, scientific institutions, users of fishing areas and fishing associations working on fish stock protection, veterinary medicine and legal questions. This open-ended group wants to ensure the rapid exchange of information among key decision-makers, but also to improve their mutual cooperation in conserving sturgeons and preventing illegal activities that threaten their survival. A recent training by WWF-Adria in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection was held to improve the detection, prosecution and sanctioning wildlife crime. The workshop was attended by more than 80 representatives of state bodies, including inspectors, police representatives, prosecutors and judges throughout Serbia.

Increasing the knowledge of these fascinating species and support to conservation efforts, that have been around this place on earth since the dinosaurs is one of WW’Fs main goals, and has recently led to the creation of a virtual exhibition on Danube sturgeon species.

For more information:
Ivana Grubisic
Communication Officer,
WWF-Adria
igrubisic@wwfadria.org
Tel: +381 11 30 33 753

Background:
WWF is engaged in sturgeon protection measures in most Danube countries, for example through the Life for Danube Sturgeons Project. Sturgeons used to be present in almost all European rivers, but today seven out of the eight species of sturgeon on the European continent are threatened with extinction. Sturgeons have survived the dinosaurs, but now teeter on the brink of extinction. The Black Sea Region is crucial to the survival of these species in Europe. The Danube and the Rioni River in Georgia are the only two rivers remaining in Europe where migrating sturgeons reproduce naturally. The main reasons are overfishing and loss of habitat through dams that block migration routes or in-river constructions, facilitating navigation. These are often detrimental to the feeding and spawning habitats, necessary for sturgeon survival. Within the EU the only river with naturally reproducing sturgeon populations remains the Danube. Crucial but no longer reproductive stocks are left in the Po River in Italy and the Gironde in France. Restocking activities take place in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, France, Germany, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands. Our priority is to identify and protect the critical habitats of the remaining four sturgeon species (Huso huso, Acipenser stellatus, A. ruthenus, and A. gueldenstaedtii) in the Lower Danube and north-western Black Sea, as well as to reduce pressure on their remaining populations by addressing poaching and ensuring protection.