Index - Infobase - News - Sturgeon Fishing Ban in Romania Romania banned sturgeon fishing for the next ten years In April 2006, Romania banned sturgeon fishing for the next ten years. Numerous international environmental organizations and institutions have stated that similar long-term recovery plans are needed, especially in the Caspian Sea, to prevent extinction. In the new Order regarding the sturgeons preserving (No. 262/330/2006), the trade of wild sturgeons captured on Romanian territory is forbidden. Therefore Ministry of Environment and Water Management, which is national CITES Management Authority, will not continue to release CITES export permits for caviar and for sturgeons meat, from specimens captured in Romanian natural environment. This Order was published in the Official Publication of the Romanian Government, No. 385 / 4 May 2006.

Danube fishermen with unbaited hook lines The Order contains following explanation: ï¿½Considering the scientific studies that show a continuous decline of populations of sturgeon species, the worrying evolution of sturgeon catches registered in Romania after year 2000, actual unsatisfactory development of sturgeon aquaculture in Romania, extinction of sturgeon species from other European rivers during the last century, the importance and the international protection given to the endangered sturgeon species, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Bern Convention and relevant national legislation, the Minister of Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development and the Minister of Environment and Water Management issue the Order which, among other stipulations, state that: 1. in order to conserve sturgeon populations, commercial fishing of wild sturgeon species is forbidden for a period of ten years, starting with the date of publication of the present Order; 2. it is forbidden to trade in products and subï¿½products obtained from wild sturgeons captured in Romania; 3.

it is forbidden to use any gears or equipments for capture of sturgeons, including stationary gill nets for sturgeons and unbaited hook lines, in fishing areas of natural waters of Romania. Any sturgeons captured accidentally shall be released in their natural environment, regardless of their condition." Unbaited hook lines Recently, CITES introduced a ban for export and import quota of sturgeon caviar from nature ( ). These left also our country without quota for the year 2007, which is understandable if we take in consideration fishing ban in Romania, country which is within the Regional group (BSSMAG) with largest annual quota and largest Danube sturgeon caviar trade. Black Sea Sturgeon Management Action Group was established on grounds of 12.7. CITES Resolution, which insists on establishment of regional agreements. BSSMAG meeting ( It can be said that main causes for unapproved CITES quota are undeveloped and inefficient international cooperation and legislation. Legal instruments are not harmonized among countries, are partly insufficient and partly not implemented.

Also, in 2004-2005, in situ information from the Lower Danube River by scientists and fishermen substantiated the critical situation of sturgeon stocks. This reinforces the urgent need for significantly enhanced basin-wide cooperation and mutual action plan for conservation and restoration of sturgeons in the Danube River. BBC News - Danube sturgeon on the brink of extinction? BBC News Danube sturgeon on the brink of extinction? By Nick Thorpe BBC News, Romania Danube fishermen try to make a living from catching fish other than sturgeon Catching a sturgeon could once have changed a Danube fisherman's life but modern dams and over-fishing mean they are rapidly dying out. "The beauty of the sturgeon," explains Radu Suciu, "is that this is an armoured fish." And he takes down from his shelf his visitor's box, which rattles. Inside is a mixture not of fish bones - the thin things which get stuck in your throat and you have to eat bread to dislodge - but chunks of sturgeon skeletons. The complete one looks like a fossil, with its distinctive, long, sharp nose.

The sturgeon has been around for a lot longer than humans - at least 200 million years. It is such a perfect design that it has hardly changed. Restrictions on fishing wild sturgeon have forced up caviar prices Multiple threats "The sturgeon is not a good swimmer," continues Radu, "but it is a good climber." He fishes out two long, yellow pectoral bones that the fish uses to anchor itself on the bed of fast-flowing rivers like the Danube, which it goes up every few years to spawn. At the famous underwater cataracts at the Iron Gates, between Romania and Serbia, the river climbs steeply. Navigation for ships in medieval times was impossible, but migrating sturgeon used to anchor themselves behind rocks to rest, then they swam and anchored, swam and anchored, slowly climbing their own stairway to heaven - hundreds of miles upstream in the spawning grounds of the Szigetkoz region in Hungary. Before, that is, the Iron Gates hydro-electric dam blocked their path. Then the Gabcikovo dam in Slovakia caused the Szigetkoz to dry out.

A combination of dams, pollution and over-fishing have driven this most ancient of fish to the brink of extinction. Radu tells the tale of a poor Danube fisherman in Isaccea in 1999, who caught a 800lb (360kg) female, nearly 12 feet (3.5 metres) long, with 180lb (82kg) of black caviar inside. A pound in weight (0.5kg) currently sells for £2,800 ($4,500). The top price in New York last year was £4,200 ($6,800). The fish changed his life but it was a disaster for sturgeon stocks because there are so few mature, female Beluga sturgeon left. This is the most valuable variety for caviar. Satellite tracking Since 2006, Romania has banned sturgeon fishing both in the Danube and in the Black Sea, their usual habitat. In February, Bulgaria did the same and there are similar promises from Serbia and Ukraine. From 2009, Romanian and Norwegian scientists have collaborated in a special project to find out more about sturgeon.

Satellite transmitters were attached to five adult fish in the river, which were then released, and headed back out to sea. The transmitters only send their information to the satellite when the fish surface, which is extremely rare. One of them, a 12-year-old male, they named Harald after the king of Norway. Nikita Ivan did not manage to make his fortune from fishing for sturgeon He headed down to the Turkish coast of the Black Sea for a while - who can blame him - then up to the northern shore, to a shallow ledge off the Crimean peninsula, where the water is not so cold, for the winter. Then disaster struck, 300 days after he was released. The satellite image showed him moving slowly for several hours, perhaps in a rowing boat. Harald had been caught. Then the satellite showed him moving inland at a steady pace for six days, probably on a train. Then he disappeared. One wonders what the person who bought him thought of the transmitter. Perhaps he swallowed it. 'Delicious' The Danube abounds with sturgeon tales.

Nikita - a 70-year-old fisherman I met at Ghindaresti in Romania, nearly 200 miles (300 km) up the river - told me how a big sturgeon he caught in the 1980s hit his rowing boat so hard with its tail that it knocked his fishing companion into the water. "I had to decide which of them to save - the fish or my friend," he laughs. Eventually, after several hours thrashing around in the water, he got them both into the boat. "And we sang all the way back to the harbour," he told me. Would he sing me that song? "We cannot sing during Lent," he exclaimed. Like nearly everyone in Ghindaresti, Nikita is a Russian, an old believer, whose ancestors took refuge here from religious reforms in Russia centuries ago. Did the fish make him rich? "We had to sell it to the fishing cooperative - for peanuts," he laments. "In my house, money is like the Danube. It rises one day and goes down the next." In a restaurant in Sulina, where the river flows out into the Black Sea, I order grilled sturgeon. It tastes delicious, like wild salmon.

But catching sturgeon is banned. "They say they buy it in the supermarket," Radu explains. But in a fishing community, that is a little hard to believe. How to listen to From Our Own Correspondent BBC Radio 4: A 30-minute programme on Saturdays, 1130. Second 30-minute programme on Thursdays, 1100 (some weeks only). Bulgaria Bans Fishing for Endangered Danube Sturgeons Bulgaria Bans Fishing for Endangered Danube Sturgeons SOFIA, Bulgaria, May 3, 2011 (ENS) - There is fresh hope for the survival of Critically Endangered Danube sturgeons with the imposition of a fishing ban in Bulgaria. The ancient migratory fish are at the brink of extinction from overfishing for the lucrative caviar market. Bulgarian authorities have announced a one-year ban, joining the efforts of neighboring Romania, which is in the middle of a 10-year caviar fishing ban. "This is the first time Bulgaria has banned sturgeon catching in the Danube," said Ivaylo Simeonov, head of management and monitoring of fisheries at Bulgaria's National Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

"We did have a ban on sturgeon catching in 2008, but only for the Black Sea." "WWF welcomes this admirable development. This is a great step for Danube sturgeons," said Jutta Jahrl, Danube sturgeon expert at the global conservation organization. Danube River sturgeon caught in Romania, 2007. (Photo credit unknown) "What this means is that Bulgaria is really giving the sturgeons a break, joining Romania in this very important measure," said Jahrl. "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 cannot have any impact if fishermen on the other side are still catching the fish." Adult sturgeons live in estuaries and coastal waters but swim upstream to spawn. The Black Sea is one of the most important sturgeon fisheries in the world, second only to the Caspian Sea. The Danube, as one of the major feeder rivers and estuaries of the Black Sea, is crucial for sturgeons.

The one-year ban on the part of Bulgaria is a prelude to a five-year ban which is scheduled to start in 2012. "At the Fisheries Agency we have already prepared the terms of the five-year ban," Simeonov said. "Under the terms of the proposed ban, various activities in support of sturgeon populations will be carried out, for example restocking of fish populations and monitoring of the status of sturgeons." An information campaign among fishing communities and better enforcement of the ban are also planned for 2012. Until the 19th century, giant Beluga sturgeons migrated from the Black Sea up the Danube River as far as Germany and were important mainstays for many fishing communities. Originating 200 million years ago, sturgeons have outlasted the dinosaurs, but today most species are critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Sturgeon caught in the Danube River near the Iron Gates Dam (Photo credit unknown) Dams such as the Iron Gates between Serbia and Romania that have cut off the migration routes of sturgeons, the consequent loss of spawning habitats and especially overexploitation of the fish, driven by caviar consumption, all threaten sturgeon survival. "Overfishing - principally for caviar - is the biggest cause for concern, but habitat alteration, including hydropower, and pollution are contributing causes." said WWF Wildlife Trade Officer Colman O'Criodain. Trade in sturgeon caviar is an extremely profitable business. Caviar is one of the most expensive wildlife products, fetching retail prices of 6,000 euros and up per kilogram. Among the sturgeon species native to the Danube basin is the Beluga sturgeon, famed for its expensive caviar. Until 2007 quotas for caviar export existed and were distributed among Lower Danube countries. But in 2007 fisheries authorities realized that sturgeon populations had plummeted and Lower Danube countries could not fulfill even half of their quotas.

This led to a ban on caviar exports from natural fish populations, as opposed to farmed fish, from all Lower Danube countries imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. But the ban has resulted in a thriving black market in wild caviar from the Lower Danube region. Between 2000 and 2005, authorities seized over 12 metric tonnes of illegal caviar in the European Union. In an effort to stop illegal trade, CITES member countries have agreed on comprehensive chain-of-custody labeling, which aims to track caviar from its origin to the consumer. But loopholes still allow illegal caviar to reach consumers. Officially, most of the caviar from Lower Danube countries in circulation today is from farm-raised sturgeon. "Although international regulations are good, there are still loopholes. Caviar for personal use is excepted from any requirements," Jahrl said. "Furthermore, there is no general rule for the printing of labels, no general design apart from the code or any obligatory safety feature," he said.

"In a few countries lables are printed by the state but usually the companies print them themselves, so it's easy to forge them." "On top of this, consumer awareness in Western Europe seems to be rather low. Even legal traders of caviar do not know much about labeling requirements. It is crucial that traders and consumers are more aware of the issue and do not buy caviar without labels," said Jahrl. "This would be a strong force against illegal trade." Jahrl urged the EU, a major caviar producer and consumer market, to amend its legislation to close all the loopholes. Bulgaria bans sturgeon fishing | ICPDR - International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River Bulgaria bans sturgeon fishing Bulgaria bans sturgeon fishing Sofia, 1 May 2011. In order to protect endangered sturgeon species, Bulgaria decided to ban sturgeon fishing in May 2011. Romania was the first country to implement a sturgeon fishing ban in the Danube in 2006 and is now followed by its southern neighbour.

As explained by the Head of Unit Management and Monitoring of Fisheries of Bulgaria’s National Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ivaylo Simeonov, this one year ban will be a first step applied primarily to fishing in the Danube River. This first step will be followed by more serious measures including a five-year ban starting in 2012. Because of the illegal trade of sturgeon mainly for the production of caviar, the number of this fish was significantly decreased within past few years. After a survey among the Lower Danube countries made in 2007, the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna (CITES) decided to ban sturgeon caviar exports collected from wild fish populations in Lower Danube countries. This ban aimed to decrease the number of poached sturgeons. Sturgeons find their natural habitat in coastal waters and estuaries, from where they migrate upstream to spawn. In order to protect sturgeons, it is also important to ensure their free and unobstructed migration and mobility. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), an observer to the ICPDR, welcomed the decision of the Bulgarian authorities to join Romania in banning sturgeon fishing.

For the ICPDR, sturgeon protection has a very high priority. Measures such as the construction of fish passes at the Iron Gate Dams in Serbia, wetland restoration or the awareness raising for fish migration have been pursued or supported by the ICPDR for years. Such measures benefit not only sturgeons, but also many other endangered species of Danube fish Management Plans 2015 The ICPDR is happy to announce the adoption of two plans that define water management priorities in the Danube Basin for the next six years: the DRBM Plan Update 2015 and the 1st DFRMP . Romania bans sturgeon fishing for ten years | ICPDR - International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River Romania bans sturgeon fishing for ten years Romania bans sturgeon fishing for ten years Article in Danube Watch 02/2006 Romania bans sturgeon fishing for ten years The methods used for artificial propagation will be strictly controlled under the ban. Young sturgeons for restocking will be tagged before being released in the river.

The Romanian government has issued a ban on the commercial fishing of all wild sturgeon species (including ship, Danube, stellate, sterlet and beluga sturgeon) for a ten-year period. The order also bans the trading of products or sub-products obtained from sturgeon captured in Romania, and requires any sturgeon captured accidentally to be released, regardless of its condition. The ban was ordered in response to concerns over the continuing decline of sturgeon populations and the extinction of other sturgeon species in Europe over the last century. “We were beginning to see a trend in beluga sturgeon numbers that we’d seen a few years ago with the Danube sturgeon,” says Radu Suciu, Head of the Sturgeon Research Group at the Danube Delta National Institute. “If fish are well managed, the majority of the population should be young fi rst-time spawners,” explains Suciu.

“Instead, the beluga sturgeons being caught in 2005 were between 25 and 30 years old — old fish, and there simply weren’t young fish born after 1990 surviving to maturity.” The ban in Romania is a good start, but the Sturgeon Research Group will bring the data to the next meeting of the North-western Black Sea and Lower Danube Sturgeon Management Group, to ask fellow members Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, and Ukraine to enact bans of their own. “We expect that once other countries see the data, they will adopt similar conservation measures,” says Suciu. Kirstie Shepherd is a freelance journalist and the Editor of Danube Watch. She has called the Danube River Basin home since 2000. TRAFFIC - Wildlife Trade News - Illegal caviar trade poses major threat to Danube sturgeons Illegal caviar trade poses major threat to Danube sturgeons in Japanese 14th November 2011—The highly endangered sturgeons of the Danube river basin are at risk because of the persistent illegal trade in their caviar involving Bulgaria and Romania, according to a newly published TRAFFIC report compiled for WWF.

The two countries hold the only viable populations of wild sturgeons in the European Union (EU), but five of the six native sturgeon species in the Danube are Critically Endangered and sturgeon fishing there has been banned. According to the new report, 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 EU Member States between 2000 and 2009. Neither Bulgaria nor Romania reported illegal caviar seizures themselves. “It is of concern that Bulgaria and Romania reported no seizures of caviar, while other EU Member States registered several seizures where those two countries were implicated,” said TRAFFIC’s Katalin Kecse-Nagy, author of the report. “The detected quantities are not very high, but we must bear in mind that the real volume of illegal trade is likely to be considerably higher and any illegal trade poses an unacceptable risk to these highly threatened species,” said Kecse-Nagy.

Kecse-Nagy also points out that in 2007, both Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, meaning any illegal trade was within the Union, and therefore harder to detect and prevent. In addition, due to their geographical position, the two countries are potential gateways for illicit caviar trade from the Caspian Sea, the most important sturgeon fishery in the world. In 2009 German authorities seized caviar smuggled into the EU and labeled as Bulgarian farmed caviar. Bulgaria and Romania are only permitted to trade in farmed-caviar, but isotope analysis demonstrated the caviar had originated from the Caspian Sea. “This case demonstrates how permitted caviar farming was exploited to launder illegally sourced caviar into legal trade,” said Kecse-Nagy. Analysis of legal trade data indicates a large increase in aquaculture production in Bulgaria for export, including within the EU.

“This means it is more vital than ever to regulate closely the caviar trade within the region to ensure illicit trade is not posing a threat to wild sturgeons.” The TRAFFIC report recommends both Romania and Bulgaria raise awareness among enforcement agencies of the illegal caviar trade and strengthen their capacity to control and monitor the trade. “The EU has a major responsibility to regulate the caviar trade because EU member states are the largest consumer of caviar from Romania and the second largest consumer of caviar from Bulgaria,” said Jutta Jahrl, Sturgeon expert at WWF. “The EU must close every loophole in order to save sturgeons from extinction.” However, according to Jahrl, consumer awareness in Europe about the threat posed by illegal caviar trade is low, while even genuine traders know little about the requirements for labelling legal caviar.

“It is crucial that traders and consumers do not buy unlabelled caviar - this simple act would strike a major blow against the illegal trade.” Notes for editors More on caviar trade and sturgeons - Originating 200 million years ago, sturgeons have outlasted the dinosaurs, but today are the most threatened animals on the IUCN red list of threatened species. Overfishing - principally for caviar - is the biggest cause for concern, but cutting off sturgeon migration routes, habitat alteration, including hydropower, and pollution are further contributing causes. According to the World Sturgeon Conservation Society, the Danube is the only large river system in Europe where protection of existing but dwindling sturgeon stocks is still possible. - Due to its high price and rarity, caviar - one of the most expensive wildlife products - is often traded illegally. Among the sturgeon species native to the Danube is the Beluga Sturgeon, famous for its expensive caviar. Trade in sturgeon caviar is an extremely profitable business. Retail prices for caviar can reach EUR 6,000 and up per kilogram.

- The Black Sea is one of the most important sturgeon fisheries in the world, second only to the Caspian Sea. The Danube, as one of the major feeder rivers and estuaries of the Black Sea, is crucial for sturgeons. Fishing and export of sturgeon and sturgeon products of wild origin was banned in Romania in 2006 for 10 years, while Bulgaria is currently under a one year ban. - The TRAFFIC report also provides an analysis of legal caviar trade which is economically important for the whole region. It shows that direct exports of caviar peaked in 2000 in Romania and in 2006 in Bulgaria. In Romania the reported amounts of caviar went down to zero in 2006, the start of a 10 year sturgeon fishing and export ban in the country.

For additional information or to request an expert interview, please contact: TRAFFIC: Richard Thomas, richard.thomas@traffic.org , direct +44 1223 279 068, mobile +44 752 6646 216 WWF: Olga Apostolova, oapostolova@wwfdcp.bg , direct +359 2 950 50 41, mobile +359 885 727 862 Illegal caviar trade poses major threat to Danube sturgeons | WWF Illegal caviar trade poses major threat to Danube sturgeons Posted on 14 November 2011 Caviar – the processed, salted roe of certain fish species, most notably sturgeon – is commercially marketed worldwide as a delicacy. © Marco Veringa The highly endangered sturgeons of the Danube river basin are at risk because of the persistent illegal trade in their caviar involving Bulgaria and Romania, according to a newly published TRAFFIC report compiled for WWF.

The two countries hold the only viable populations of wild sturgeons in the European Union (EU), but five of the six native sturgeon species in the Danube are critically endangered and sturgeon fishing there has been banned. According to the new report, 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 EU Member States between 2000 and 2009. Neither Bulgaria nor Romania reported illegal caviar seizures themselves. “It is of concern that Bulgaria and Romania reported no seizures of caviar, while other EU Member States registered several seizures where those two countries were implicated,” said TRAFFIC’s Katalin Kecse-Nagy, author of the report. “The detected quantities are not very high, but we must bear in mind that the real volume of illegal trade is likely to be considerably higher and any illegal trade poses an unacceptable risk to these highly threatened species,” said Kecse-Nagy. Kecse-Nagy also points out that in 2007, both Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, meaning any illegal trade was within the Union, and therefore harder to detect and prevent.

In addition, due to their geographical position, the two countries are potential gateways for illicit caviar trade from the Caspian Sea, the most important sturgeon fishery in the world. In 2009 German authorities seized caviar smuggled into the EU and labeled as Bulgarian farmed caviar. Bulgaria and Romania are only permitted to trade in farmed-caviar, but isotope analysis demonstrated the caviar had originated from the Caspian Sea. “This case demonstrates how permitted caviar farming was exploited to launder illegally sourced caviar into legal trade,” said Kecse-Nagy. Analysis of legal trade data indicates a large increase in aquaculture production in Bulgaria for export, including within the EU. “This means it is more vital than ever to regulate closely the caviar trade within the region to ensure illicit trade is not posing a threat to wild sturgeons.” The TRAFFIC report recommends both Romania and Bulgaria raise awareness among enforcement agencies of the illegal caviar trade and strengthen their capacity to control and monitor the trade.

“The EU has a major responsibility to regulate the caviar trade because EU member states are the largest consumer of caviar from Romania and the second largest consumer of caviar from Bulgaria,” said Jutta Jahrl, Sturgeon expert at WWF. “The EU must close every loophole in order to save sturgeons from extinction.” However, according to Jahrl, consumer awareness in Europe about the threat posed by illegal caviar trade is low, while even genuine traders know little about the requirements for labelling legal caviar. “It is crucial that traders and consumers do not buy unlabelled caviar - this simple act would strike a major blow against the illegal trade.” The report, Trade in Sturgeon Caviar in Bulgaria and Romania, was funded by The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, DBU (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt) and WWF. More on caviar trade and sturgeons - Originating 200 million years ago, sturgeons have outlasted the dinosaurs, but today are the most threatened animals on the IUCN red list of threatened species.

Overfishing - principally for caviar - is the biggest cause for concern, but cutting off sturgeon migration routes, habitat alteration, including hydropower, and pollution are further contributing causes. According to the World Sturgeon Conservation Society, the Danube is the only large river system in Europe where protection of existing but dwindling sturgeon stocks is still possible. - Due to its high price and rarity, caviar - one of the most expensive wildlife products - is often traded illegally. Among the sturgeon species native to the Danube is the Beluga Sturgeon, famous for its expensive caviar. Trade in sturgeon caviar is an extremely profitable business. Retail prices for caviar can reach EUR 6,000 and up per kilogram. - The Black Sea is one of the most important sturgeon fisheries in the world, second only to the Caspian Sea. The Danube, as one of the major feeder rivers and estuaries of the Black Sea, is crucial for sturgeons. Fishing and export of sturgeon and sturgeon products of wild origin was banned in Romania in 2006 for 10 years, while Bulgaria is currently under a one year ban.

- The TRAFFIC report also provides an analysis of legal caviar trade which is economically important for the whole region. It shows that direct exports of caviar peaked in 2000 in Romania and in 2006 in Bulgaria. In Romania the reported amounts of caviar went down to zero in 2006, the start of a 10 year sturgeon fishing and export ban in the country. For additional information or to request an expert interview, please contact: TRAFFIC: Richard Thomas, richard.thomas[at]traffic[dot]org, direct +44 1223 279 068 WWF: Olga Apostolova, oapostolova[at]wwfdcp[dot]bg, direct +359 2 950 50 41 Caviar – the processed, salted roe of certain fish species, most notably sturgeon – is commercially marketed worldwide as a delicacy. or see all WWF gifts Invest on a gorilla's paradise! This is a place where gorillas, hippos and elephants can be found walking, playing and resting along pristine sandy beaches...

or see all WWF gifts Buy a WWF gift Where else can you get a gift that can mean so much, so easily, and in a fun and interesting way? or see all WWF gifts Give your child a planet When you work with WWF to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, you give your child, and all children around the world, a chance to get to discover our earth as we know it today. Romanians protest lift of sturgeon fishing ban | WWF Romanians protest lift of sturgeon fishing ban Posted on 12 November 2009 A government decision to overturn a ten-year ban on the fishing of wild sturgeon in the Danube River basin drew protests in the capital this week, led by WWF and a contingent of local NGOs. © WWF-DCPO Romania Archive Bucharest, Romania – A government decision to overturn a ten-year ban on the fishing of wild sturgeon in the Danube River basin drew protests in the capital this week, led by WWF and a contingent of local NGOs. The controversial legislation, allowing sturgeon fishing for purposes other than restocking, was adopted in September by the Agriculture and Environment Committees of the Romanian Parliament.

The new law in effect legalizes fishing of sturgeons for commercial purposes. Meanwhile, some Romanian politicians are calling for the elimination of the current ban on gillnet and trawler fishing in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. To counter this destructive decision, 34 Romanian environmental NGOs, including “Save the Delta” Association and WWF, organized a bitter protest in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Tuesday. “The new fishing law practically throws away the EUR 4 billion spent by the Romanian Government for the sturgeon restocking programme, which was developed during the last four years,” said Luminița Tănasie, Director of WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme Romania. “If the 200,000 young sturgeons which were bought for restocking the Danube, are not given the necessary time to mature and reproduce naturally, the sturgeon fisheries will not be able to recover, and both the economical and the ecological loss will be enormous.” In front of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development building in Bucharest, protesters on Tuesday held a “sturgeon fair”, offering the public the opportunity to view sturgeons caught in a fishing gillnet.

Environmentalists also displayed the photographs of the MPs who proposed the amendments. At the end of the protest, the sturgeons were sent to the MPs. The MPs who proposed the elimination of the ban on gillnets and trawlers within the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve received the gillnet used during the protest. Each of the MPs also received a letter of protest signed by the 34 participating NGOs, asking them to reconsider their actions and adopt new legislation. Scientific reports indicate that among the sturgeon species which populate Romanian waters, are the critically endangered (possibly extinct) Ship Sturgeons, the endangered Russian and Beluga Sturgeons, as well as the Sterlet Sturgeon, considered to be vulnerable. The Black Sea once harboured some of the most productive sturgeon populations. However, research on age structure of sturgeons captured in Romania has revealed a critical decrease in the number of sturgeons born during 1990–99 that survived to sustain the population. Sturgeons are fished mainly for caviar, although their meat and skin are also widely used in the region.

Poorly regulated fisheries have caused severe decline in populations due to overfishing, which almost entirely disrupted the fish species' natural spawning in the Danube River. Due to concern about the sustainability of international trade in sturgeon caviar and meat, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has been regulating such trade in all sturgeon species since 1998 and has, from time to time, been forced to recommend trade suspensions. Fishing of sturgeons for commercial purposes was banned in Romania in 2006 for a period of ten years. The relatively long period of prohibition is explained by the long life cycle of the sturgeon (the maximum age being between 24 and 100 years), by the long period necessary for the sturgeon to reach reproductive age (between 6 and 26 years), and by the fact that the sturgeon does not reproduce every year.

The letter of protest was also sent to the Romanian President Traian Băsescu, to the Interim Prime Minister Emil Boc, to the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and to the Romanian National Commission to UNESCO. A government decision to overturn a ten-year ban on the fishing of wild sturgeon in the Danube River basin drew protests in the capital this week, led by WWF and a contingent of local NGOs. © WWF-DCPO Romania Archive Enlarge or see all WWF gifts Invest on a gorilla's paradise! This is a place where gorillas, hippos and elephants can be found walking, playing and resting along pristine sandy beaches... or see all WWF gifts Buy a WWF gift Where else can you get a gift that can mean so much, so easily, and in a fun and interesting way? or see all WWF gifts Give your child a planet When you work with WWF to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, you give your child, and all children around the world, a chance to get to discover our earth as we know it today.

Illegal caviar trade poses major threat to Danube sturgeons | WWF Illegal caviar trade poses major threat to Danube sturgeons Posted on 14 November 2011 Caviar – the processed, salted roe of certain fish species, most notably sturgeon – is commercially marketed worldwide as a delicacy. © Marco Veringa The highly endangered sturgeons of the Danube river basin are at risk because of the persistent illegal trade in their caviar involving Bulgaria and Romania, according to a newly published TRAFFIC report compiled for WWF. The two countries hold the only viable populations of wild sturgeons in the European Union (EU), but five of the six native sturgeon species in the Danube are critically endangered and sturgeon fishing there has been banned. According to the new report, 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 EU Member States between 2000 and 2009. Neither Bulgaria nor Romania reported illegal caviar seizures themselves.

“It is of concern that Bulgaria and Romania reported no seizures of caviar, while other EU Member States registered several seizures where those two countries were implicated,” said TRAFFIC’s Katalin Kecse-Nagy, author of the report. “The detected quantities are not very high, but we must bear in mind that the real volume of illegal trade is likely to be considerably higher and any illegal trade poses an unacceptable risk to these highly threatened species,” said Kecse-Nagy. Kecse-Nagy also points out that in 2007, both Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, meaning any illegal trade was within the Union, and therefore harder to detect and prevent. In addition, due to their geographical position, the two countries are potential gateways for illicit caviar trade from the Caspian Sea, the most important sturgeon fishery in the world. In 2009 German authorities seized caviar smuggled into the EU and labeled as Bulgarian farmed caviar. Bulgaria and Romania are only permitted to trade in farmed-caviar, but isotope analysis demonstrated the caviar had originated from the Caspian Sea.

“This case demonstrates how permitted caviar farming was exploited to launder illegally sourced caviar into legal trade,” said Kecse-Nagy. Analysis of legal trade data indicates a large increase in aquaculture production in Bulgaria for export, including within the EU. “This means it is more vital than ever to regulate closely the caviar trade within the region to ensure illicit trade is not posing a threat to wild sturgeons.” The TRAFFIC report recommends both Romania and Bulgaria raise awareness among enforcement agencies of the illegal caviar trade and strengthen their capacity to control and monitor the trade. “The EU has a major responsibility to regulate the caviar trade because EU member states are the largest consumer of caviar from Romania and the second largest consumer of caviar from Bulgaria,” said Jutta Jahrl, Sturgeon expert at WWF. “The EU must close every loophole in order to save sturgeons from extinction.” However, according to Jahrl, consumer awareness in Europe about the threat posed by illegal caviar trade is low, while even genuine traders know little about the requirements for labelling legal caviar.

“It is crucial that traders and consumers do not buy unlabelled caviar - this simple act would strike a major blow against the illegal trade.” The report, Trade in Sturgeon Caviar in Bulgaria and Romania, was funded by The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, DBU (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt) and WWF. More on caviar trade and sturgeons - Originating 200 million years ago, sturgeons have outlasted the dinosaurs, but today are the most threatened animals on the IUCN red list of threatened species. Overfishing - principally for caviar - is the biggest cause for concern, but cutting off sturgeon migration routes, habitat alteration, including hydropower, and pollution are further contributing causes. According to the World Sturgeon Conservation Society, the Danube is the only large river system in Europe where protection of existing but dwindling sturgeon stocks is still possible. - Due to its high price and rarity, caviar - one of the most expensive wildlife products - is often traded illegally. Among the sturgeon species native to the Danube is the Beluga Sturgeon, famous for its expensive caviar.

Trade in sturgeon caviar is an extremely profitable business. Retail prices for caviar can reach EUR 6,000 and up per kilogram. - The Black Sea is one of the most important sturgeon fisheries in the world, second only to the Caspian Sea. The Danube, as one of the major feeder rivers and estuaries of the Black Sea, is crucial for sturgeons. Fishing and export of sturgeon and sturgeon products of wild origin was banned in Romania in 2006 for 10 years, while Bulgaria is currently under a one year ban. - The TRAFFIC report also provides an analysis of legal caviar trade which is economically important for the whole region. It shows that direct exports of caviar peaked in 2000 in Romania and in 2006 in Bulgaria. In Romania the reported amounts of caviar went down to zero in 2006, the start of a 10 year sturgeon fishing and export ban in the country.

For additional information or to request an expert interview, please contact: TRAFFIC: Richard Thomas, richard.thomas[at]traffic[dot]org, direct +44 1223 279 068 WWF: Olga Apostolova, oapostolova[at]wwfdcp[dot]bg, direct +359 2 950 50 41 Caviar – the processed, salted roe of certain fish species, most notably sturgeon – is commercially marketed worldwide as a delicacy. or see all WWF gifts Invest on a gorilla's paradise! This is a place where gorillas, hippos and elephants can be found walking, playing and resting along pristine sandy beaches... or see all WWF gifts Buy a WWF gift Where else can you get a gift that can mean so much, so easily, and in a fun and interesting way? or see all WWF gifts Give your child a planet When you work with WWF to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, you give your child, and all children around the world, a chance to get to discover our earth as we know it today.

Index - Infobase - News News Within the activities of the project "Sustainable use of sterlet and development of sterlet aquaculture in Serbia and Hungary", which is being funded by European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR), members of the team from the Institute for Multidisciplinary Research had visited HAKI in Szarvas (Hungary) on 12-14 February 2008. During the visit, they have participated in fish catch on the Tisza River, visited laboratories at HAKI, as well as the rearing ponds. (FULL TEXT) Institute for Multidisciplinary Research from Belgrade, in cooperation with the Research Institute for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Irrigation from Hungary, will organize during 2007 and 2008 the project "Sustainable use of sterlet and development of sterlet aquaculture in Serbia and Hungary". Project will be organized within the Cross-border Cooperation Programme Hungary-Serbia, which is being funded by European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR). (FULL TEXT) During May 2006, catch of the commercial fishermen from Prahovo, Serbia, was unexpectedly enriched with, for them, a strange new fish species.

After they made contact with ichthyologists from the Institute for Multidisciplinary Research from Belgrade, it was determined that fish was North American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula Walbaum, 1792). This finding is the first record of the North American paddlefish in Serbian part of the Danube River. (FULL TEXT) In April 2006, Romania banned sturgeon fishing for the next ten years. Numerous international environmental organizations and institutions have stated that similar long-term recovery plans are needed, especially in the Caspian Sea, to prevent extinction. Romanian Ministry of Environment and Water Management will not continue to release CITES export permits for caviar and for sturgeons meat, from specimens captured in Romanian natural environment.. (FULL TEXT) Internet presentation was funded by Minstry of Environmental Protection of Republic Serbia. Webdesign & maintenance: Ivan Jarić ijaric@ibiss.bg.ac.yu

Question: In 2006, Romania banned sturgeon fishing in which river?
Answer: Danube