Poaching remains main threat to sturgeon populations in the Lower Danube

Sturgeon poaching remains rampant in the Lower Danube – Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine – and continues to threaten the most endangered group of fish species in the world, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Whilst there is a complete ban on sturgeon fishing in the Danube Basin, and selling or buying sturgeon based products is equally illegal, poachers have not been discouraged and continue their attempts to evade the law in order to make money on the black market.

Some 57 cases of illegal fishing were reported in Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine in 2021, according to data centralized by WWF. The number is comparable to those recorded between 2018 and 2020 ranging from 50 to 65.

Last year, the authorities in the three countries seized a total of 178 sturgeons and 154 illegal hook lines. Of these, 62 individual sturgeons were seized in Romania, and a record number of 116 individual sturgeons were seized in Ukraine. No fish were seized in Bulgaria, where shortages in the ranks of law enforcement authorities and lack of modern equipment are possible causes for a low level of on-board ship patrolling.

“National fishing authorities and relevant police forces, such as the border police, have gradually stepped up their efforts in the last years in detecting illegalities but also in data collection, yet the picture painted by the compiled data only shows the cases enforcement were able to detect,” said Beate Striebel, WWF’s Sturgeon Initiative Lead.

She added: “The real extent of the problem could be much bigger, and enforcement must continue at the same intensity, if not increase. The wild populations are at such low levels that every sturgeon poached is one too much.”

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, sturgeons are the most endangered group of fish species in the world. As such, the WWF is committed to halting their gross exploitation and protecting them through conservation stewardship.

This WWF report on sturgeon poaching is important, as it proves the need for continuous efforts, good organization and better cooperation between agencies and across borders.

by Maia Van Kline, journalist

(Photo source: WWF)