The Research and Development Center for Sturgeon, Aquatic Habitats and Biodiversity of the University of Galati will host a 3-day event in Galati (Romania) in collaboration with six other organisations – DSTF (Danube Sturgeon Task Force), Romanian Ministry of Water and Forests, Romanian Ministry of Environment, NAFA (Romanian National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture), WSCS (World Sturgeon Conservation Society) and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), under the patronage of Romanian Academy and The Romanian Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, to address actions needed to conserve the critically endangered population of sturgeons in the entire Danube Basin.
The key objective of the conference is to support the implementation of the Pan-European Action Plan for Sturgeons (PANEUAP; adopted by the Bern Convention and endorsed under the EU Habitats Directive) by discussing the need for a basin wide and long-term fishing ban for sturgeons in the entire Danube and Black Sea area. The representatives of various national institutions and sectors from the countries in the region will also attempt to enhance cooperation across borders and eventually agree on concrete measures and next steps that will put the Pan-European Sturgeon Action Plan objectives and actions firmly into practice. Among the aims of the Conference is to elaborate key messages to decision makers in all relevant institutions and other stakeholders as a basis for shaping future actions and the way forward to save sturgeons from extinction.
One of the sessions will cope with the actual status of sturgeon populations in the Danube River with an emphasis on the remaining anadromous populations and connected monitoring activities in the Lower Danube River, its Delta and the Black Sea. This is needed due to the fact that the current monitoring activities in place in most parts of the Lower Danube and the Black Sea region are not yet in line with the recommendations of the PANEUAP.
Sturgeons experts of WWF will attend the conference in Galati, which aims to contribute to the current and future work under the LIFE for Danube Sturgeons and MEASURES projects, both co-funded by the European Commission. All sessions will be filmed and live-streamed by University of Galati via YouTube, starting on 28th October at 9.45 am local time. More information about the agenda, speakers and how to contact the organisers of the event can be found on the Conference’s official website by clicking here: http://www.sturgeon.ugal.ro/index.php/en/
