The report reveals a staggering 93% average decline of of migratory fish populations in Europe. Globally, monitored populations of migratory freshwater fish have declined by an average of 76% between 1970 and 2016. Average declines have been more pronounced in Europe (-93%) and Latin America & Caribbean (-84%). Lower declines in North America (-28%) suggest […]
The Danube River, its vast Danube Delta and the Black Sea coast are very large areas that need to be kept under surveillance to detect and prevent illegal fishing of critically endangered sturgeons. However, only rather few law enforcement officials are available to monitor large stretches of river or coastline. The limited patrols are not […]
Learn and care about rivers in order to help us NOT to produce this movie. Using the sturgeon release as a launching point, WWF-Bulgaria wanted to use sturgeons and their story to inform people about what is going on with Bulgarian rivers – their problems and those of their inhabitants, and why is it important […]
Celebrating Europe’s most beautiful river for the first time with a virtual exhibition about sturgeons 29 June 2020 – Given the COVID-19 global pandemic situation, many of the special days WWF normally celebrates in the calendar year such as Earth Hour, Earth Day, and now Danube Day have gone digital. This change has required a […]
29 June 2020 (Bulgaria) – Over 7000 Beluga Sturgeon have been released into the Danube River to mark Danube Day 2020. Hundreds of people across Europe backed a WWF-Bulgaria crowdfunding appeal. Each one is now the proud parent of a 4.5 metre, 1000 kg sturgeon. Well, eventually. At the moment, the little darlings are only […]
Success for Alternative Income Development Initiatives on the Danube and Black Sea Depends on Women 13 May 2020 – The national teams of the LIFE for Danube Sturgeons project are working closely with targeted fishing communities to devise and implement income alternatives that create new opportunities for the development of the nature-based economy in […]
In only the last month, Romanian law enforcement agencies reported three cases of wildlife crime involving sturgeon, species on the brink of extinction. Sterlet, Stellate and Russian sturgeons were discovered in fishing nets by law enforcement and later released. This is not the first recent case of sturgeon poaching in the area. In October 2019, […]
Eldridge Cleaver’s paraphrased quotation became the motto of the international online “Engaging Fishing Communities in Conservation Workshop” on May 5. The workshop introduced 30 key sturgeon experts and practitioners to the LIFE for Danube Sturgeons Project Team, and provided the team with advisory and technical support. At the core of the exchange of practices were […]
On April 20, 2020 WWF-Romania reports 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. According to the IUCN, sturgeons are the most endangered group of species on the planet. “Border Police […]
As part of the LIFE FOR DANUBE STURGEONS Project, trainings were held in Vidin and Svishtov, Bulgaria shortly before Bulgaria was put in COVID-19 lockdown. The trainings were aimed to increase the expertise and engagement of key institutions responsible for the implementation of the national sturgeon protection legislation. The engagement of law enforcement units is […]
12 March 2020 (Kyiv, Ukraine) – As part of the LIFE for Danube Sturgeon Project, WWF- Ukraine and the State Customs Service of Ukraine brought together 34 Customs officers from across the country for a 1-day training aimed at preventing the illegal traffic of CITES-listed species (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of […]
Massive layoffs due to Covid-19 may put even more pressure on this, the most endangered species on the planet, as people search for alternative income sources. Poachers are not afraid of viruses. Fortunately, the Ukrainian Izmail Frontier Detachment, the Bulgarian Border Police and the Executive Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture (EAFA) are still very active […]
