On the 26th and 27th of September 2018 in Sofia, fifty representatives of national and regional law enforcement agencies took part in a two-day workshop: “Key Institutions and their Role and Responsibilities in the Implementation of the National Legislation Related to the Protection of Wild Sturgeons”.
The workshop was organised by WWF Bulgaria as part of the project “LIFE for Danube Sturgeons”, which aims to stop the threat to highly endangered sturgeons in the Lower Danube and Northwestern Black Sea region caused by illegal fishing and trade.
Among the participants were representatives of the Border Police, the Executive Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture (EAFA), the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, the Customs Agency, The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water, the Executive Environment Agency.
At the event were presented the problems and good practices in the legislation for the protection of sturgeons in all project countries – Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine. As for Bulgaria, WWF dedicated a session on a specially developed analysis of the Bulgarian legislation and sturgeons’ protection. In the document are listed all key institutions with their role and responsibilities for the implementation of the national and European regulations.
“With this workshop we would like to encourage networking and exchange of experiences among national and regional agencies, responsible for the enforcement of the regulations for sturgeon fishing, aquaculture, and trade” – says Ekaterina Voynova, Project Coordinator “LIFE for Danube Sturgeons” Bulgaria – “At the workshop was brought up the topic for reforms and improvements in the monitoring of sturgeons and sturgeon products.”
