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Danubian sturgeon caviar: one of the priciest wildlife products. (Photo: WWF-Canon/Hartmut Jungius/Marco Veringa)
Sturgeon ban extended for another four years
(BULGARIA, 1/27/2012)
A one-year ban on the fishing of endangered sturgeons in the Danube River has been extended for another four years in line with Romania's 10-year ban which began in 2006.
The joint ban will more effectively help protect sturgeons.
"It is of utmost importance that Bulgaria has finally joined Romania in this very important measure", said Vesselina Kavrakova, programme manager of the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) Danube-Carpathian Programme in Bulgaria. "The Romanian moratorium came into force in April 2006, but considering that the Danube serves as a national border between Bulgaria and Romania, a one-sided ban was not effective".
Most species of sturgeons are critically endangered. While Bulgaria and Romania hold the only viable populations of wild sturgeons in the European Union (EU), already five of the six native sturgeon species in the Danube River are classified as critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) red list.
The extended restrictions cover four of the sturgeon species, AFP reports.
Several species of sturgeons are fished for their roe which is then processed into very expensive caviar -- one of the priciest wildlife products. In the Danube basin one can find the Beluga sturgeon, which is famous for its exclusive caviar.
"Overfishing because of persistent illegal trade in their caviar involving Bulgaria and Romania, is the biggest cause for concern, but habitat alteration, including hydropower, and pollution are also contributing causes", Kavrakova said.
Dams placed between Serbia and Romania, such as the Iron Gates, have disconnected the migration routes of sturgeons and led to loss of spawning habitats, further dwindling sturgeon populations.
The World Sturgeon Conservation Society believes the Danube is Europe's only large river system where protection of existing but decreasing sturgeon stocks remains plausible.
"What we need now, is to see various activities conducted in support of sturgeon populations, for example restocking and monitoring the status of sturgeons. We need to see an effective information campaign among fishing communities and a true enforcement of the ban", Kavrakova said.
"We want to see that both Romania and Bulgaria raise awareness among enforcement agencies of the illegal caviar trade and strengthen their capacity to control and monitor the trade", Kavrakova added.
As one of the major feeder rivers and estuaries of the Black Sea, The Danube is crucial for sturgeons. Most sturgeons reside in estuaries and coastal waters but swim upstream to reproduce.
The Black Sea is the second most important sturgeon fisheries in the world; the Caspian Sea takes the number one spot.
Related article:
- Sturgeon ban implemented on Bulgarian side of Danube
By Natalia Real
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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