A Sturgeon conference under the Austrian EU Presidency took place in Vienna on 9 and 10 July. High-ranking experts from the European Union (EU) and neighbouring countries met in Vienna to discuss the transnational protection of sturgeon species in the Danube River. The event was organised jointly by the International Commission for the Protection of […]
This is the second consecutive “Sturgeon Watchers” volunteer programme in Ukraine for monitoring and conservation of sturgeon spawning sites on the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta. “In 2017 we had the first pilot “Sturgeon Watchers” project with students from the Odessa Ecological and Kherson Agricultural universities. This year we changed the format and involved […]
Scientists, activists and fishermen have joined forces to save the endangered wild Sterlet in Serbia. WWF Serbia, the United Anglers of Serbia, the Association of Commercial Fishermen of Serbia, supported by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), have signed a letter to the Ministry of Environmental Protection requesting a temporary five-year ban on fishing […]
In contrast to the protected status of Sterlet in other states in the Lower Danube region, where catching wild sturgeon is strictly prohibited, fishing Sterlet in the Republic of Serbia is allowed. The rest of the endangered Danube sturgeon species are already under legal protection in Serbia. Recently the public enterprise “Srbijašume” banned commercial and […]
In May, during the EU Green Week – Europe’s biggest environmental event, the EU Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Mr. Karmenu Vella, presented the LIFE Awards to a selection of outstanding LIFE projects. Our project “Joint actions to raise awareness on overexploitation of Danube sturgeons in Romania and Bulgaria”, or “Saving Danube […]
On June 5, Rosen Bonov, a fisherman from the Bulgarian town of Belene on the Danube river, contacted our WWF team with the news that a young sturgeon has been caught in his nets. The species was identified as Russian Sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), probably hatched last year. Our WWF Bulgarian team of sturgeon experts measured […]
WWF-Romania celebrates the World Environment Day on June 5 by launching the actionez.ro platform. The online alert system will facilitate the efforts of engaged citizens to save sturgeons and other important parts of nature and will enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies to deal with environmental issues. Citizens who have information about cases of […]
Can scientists, activists, fishermen and consumers find a way to save the ancient Danube sturgeon? Killing the appetite for wild caviar would help, say conservationists. Once upon a time, giant bony fish patrolled the Danube, migrating from the Black Sea to Vienna and beyond. Big as boats when they breached the surface, they likely inspired […]
In May, WWF Serbia announced a contest „Together for sturgeons“, as part of the “LIFE for Danube Sturgeons” project. The activity is designed for schools in the fishing communities below the Iron Gate 2 dam. The idea is to motivate children proactively research information on Sturgeons, looking for unique archive photos, study materials and thus […]
Inna Hoch, ichthyologist and sturgeon expert in the project “LIFE for Danube Sturgeons”, joined the group of experts who will work on the new edition of the Red Book of Ukraine. According to the national legislation, the Government of Ukraine has to publish a new edition of the Red Book at least once every 10 […]
On May 10 in Kiev, more than thirty representatives from key law enforcement agencies, scientific institutions and other important stakeholders, gathered at a national workshop, organised by WWF Ukraine, on the topic: “Existing national legislation on protection, breeding and trade of sturgeons in Ukraine”. Prior to the event, as part of the “LIFE for Danube […]
The World Fish Migration Day on 21 April is a one-day global celebration to create awareness on the importance of open rivers and migratory fish. Many fish need to migrate to reproduce, feed and complete their life cycle. Migratory species like sturgeons are severely threatened by man-made obstacles: dams, dikes and sluices, which disrupt the […]
