Sturgeon, among the world’s most endangered fish, are being heavily poached & trafficked in the Lower Danube, their last stronghold: WWF

Poaching and trafficking are threatening the survival of four species of sturgeon, among the most endangered fish species globally, in one of their last strongholds of the lower section of the Danube river in southeastern Europe, according to a new report.

The analysis, by the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), documented 395 cases of illegal sturgeon fishing and trade in Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine with 1,031 sturgeon individuals affected between 2016 and 2023.

The numbers were only the proverbial ‘tip of the iceberg’ as many cases involving such illegal activity go undetected, the WWF said in a statement.

Main takeaways

The Lower Danube Basin is the area of southeastern Europe where the Danube, the continent’s second-largest river after Russia’s Volga, ends into the Black Sea.

Of the 395 incidents of illegal sturgeon activities, 144 were recorded in Bulgaria, 157 in Romania, and 94 in war-battered Ukraine.

Fishers in Bulgaria and Romania mostly used traditional unbaited hook lines (locally known as karmaci) to catch sturgeon, despite the fact that these have been banned.

“In Bulgaria alone, authorities seized 988 karmaci, totaling at least 37 kilometers in length,” noted the report.

Of the 1,031 sturgeons affected by illegal poaching and trafficking, the highest number were reported in Romania (610), followed by Ukraine (418) and Bulgaria (3).

Sturgeons are heavily exploited globally for their roe/eggs (caviar) and meat. This has led to a steep decline in populations worldwide.

Of the six sturgeon species formerly native to the Danube river, two — the European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) and the ship sturgeon (A. nudiventris) — are considered locally extinct.

Still, the WWF noted that the Lower Danube Basin is among the last European regions with self-reproducing sturgeon populations.

“However, all remaining four sturgeon species in the Danube Basin are listed as Threatened by the IUCN Red List. The stellate sturgeon (A. stellatus), the Russian sturgeon (A. gueldenstaedtii) and beluga (Huso huso) are Critically Endangered; while the sterlet (A. ruthenus) was recently raised to a higher threat category and has been listed as Endangered since 2022,” it added.

The Lower Danube should thus be a priority for conservation.

However, the analysis found that all four species of sturgeon extant in the area were affected by poaching and trafficking.

The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) was the most frequently reported species in cases of poaching and trafficking, with it being reported in 78 cases in 2018.

This, according to WWF, also reflected the fact that sterlet, though listed as Endangered in the latest IUCN assessment, may still be the most abundant species in the Danube region.

The Critically Endangered stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus) appeared most frequently in the last four years and is mentioned in 76 cases.

Thirty-nine cases involved the Critically Endangered and extremely rare Russian sturgeons (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), while 32 cases involved the Critically Endangered beluga sturgeons (Huso huso). In 37 cases, the specific species of sturgeon was not mentioned.

Vratsa oblast in Bulgaria, Tulcea in Romania, and Odesa in Ukraine were the primary hotspots for sturgeon trafficking.

The report highlighted the need for consistent and comprehensive enforcement data from all countries in the region to better understand sturgeon trafficking trends and fight illegal activities more effectively.