LIFE FOR DANUBE STURGEONS – a project of WWF in Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine, the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority in Romania and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Germany, co-funded by the European Union – has come to an end. In cooperation with fishermen, enforcement authorities and retailers in […]
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 […]
Since sturgeons like to swim on the gravelly bottom, the present low water level in the Tisza River has enabled poachers to set nets under more favourable conditions in the shallows. Once again, it turned out that the dead of night is the time when poachers are most active. However, fish wardens around the Banat […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
WWF- Romania delivered a series of training sessions for representatives of the Romanian Police, General Directorate of Customs, Danube Delta Police Service and the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture in the second half of 2019. More than 200 officials were trained to detect illegal trade in sturgeon meat and caviar. The majority of the […]
Shortly before the beginning of the holiday season, Spanish television RTVE launched their new documentary on sturgeons. RTVE wants to remind people, especially those who enjoy eating fish and fish products, what it takes to have fresh fish on the table; and how the drive for enjoying one of the most luxurious foods in the […]
