Almost 1/3 of sturgeon caviar and meat products in four key countries were sold illegally. 214 cases of poaching related incidents were recorded by authorities. 7 out of 8 sturgeon species in Europe are threatened with extinction. Vienna, 12 April – With all but one of Europe’s remaining sturgeon species facing extinction, a […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
26-27 February 2020 (Belgrade, Serbia) – WWF Adria-Serbia and the Ministry of Environment brought together inspectors, police officials, prosecutors and judges from all parts of Serbia to enhance mutual cooperation in the field of wildlife crime. The training was held in conjunction with the CITES Convention Implementation Group and aimed to improve detection, prosecution and […]
This is the first documented adult Russian sturgeon in Bulgaria for 17 years. Border Police teams and representatives of Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (EAFA) carry out intensive checks on illegal activities along the Danube. During just one check of the section between the village of Vardim and the town of Svishtov last week, […]
“…It did not seem wounded … and yet the fish had something …” 3 February 2020 – At the end of last week, a post on a social network talking about the rescue of a sturgeon spread across Romania. The sturgeon, which was reared in captivity in a lake, gave clear signs of weakness. Following the […]
WWF and the United Anglers of Serbia are warning the public again this year that, due to increased fish consumption during the holiday season, the existing problems of fish theft and overfishing of many species, even the strictly protected ones, remain unresolved in Serbia. Data obtained by WWF in cooperation with professional institutions and associations show that […]
120 delegates of the scientific community, fisheries, water and environmental administrations, and representatives of civil society from Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Canada and the European Commission came together to attend the International Conference “Conservation of Danube Sturgeons – a challenge or a burden” […]
