An action plan for the conservation of sturgeons (acipenseridae) in the Danube River Basin

Abstract

Six species of sturgeons are native to the Danube River Basin, five are classified as either ‘Endangered’ or ‘Critically Endangered’, and one ‘Vulnerable’ according to the 2004IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In fact, one of the five endangered species, the Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser sturio), is already extinct in the Danube River Basin. The key threats to Danube sturgeons include: Over-exploitation (over-fishing linked with poaching and illegal trade), habitat loss and degradation including the disruption of spawning migrations and pollution, and potential alteration of the genetic and ecological status by the introduction of exotic species and genotypes. In December 2005, a Sturgeon Action Plan, jointly prepared by experts and stakeholders, was adopted by the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention in the frame of the Council of Europe. It puts forward a series of Objectives and associated Actions required to achieve the Plan’s ultimate Goal formulated as follows: “Through national action and international cooperation, to secure viable populations of all Danube sturgeon species and forms by sustainable management and by restoration of their natural habitats and migratory movements”.