Protected Danube Sturgeon Still at Risk of Extinction Due to Poaching

Despite legal bans and tighter controls on the trade in sturgeon products, illegal fishing of these rare species remains widespread in the Lower Danube region, covering Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine.

This is stated in a new report by the World Wide Fund for Nature — WWF, which provides one of the most comprehensive assessments to date of sturgeon poaching and illegal trade in the Danube region.

According to the study, at least 3,366 sturgeons were affected by documented wildlife crimes between 2016 and 2025. Law enforcement authorities also seized no less than 263 kilograms of illegal caviar, around 6.5 tonnes of sturgeon meat and whole fish, as well as a significant quantity of prohibited fishing gear.

WWF emphasises that these figures represent only the minimum number of confirmed cases. The actual scale of illegal fishing is likely to be substantially higher, as many offences remain undetected, unregistered or absent from official statistics.

Experts note that the legal framework for the protection of sturgeons in the Lower Danube countries is generally in place, but its practical enforcement remains insufficiently effective.

Beate Striebel, Head of WWF’s Sturgeon Initiative, explained that wild sturgeon and related products, particularly black caviar, have a high commercial value. At the same time, the risk of detecting illegal fishing and imposing genuinely deterrent penalties often remains relatively low.

The problem also has a socioeconomic and cultural dimension. For decades, sturgeon fishing formed part of traditional fisheries and represented an important source of income for many communities along the Danube. For this reason, legal prohibitions without alternative employment and income opportunities do not always succeed in eliminating illegal fishing.

Law enforcement and environmental authorities also face practical difficulties. Poaching often takes place at night and in remote or hard-to-reach parts of the river. Prohibited fishing gear can remain underwater for extended periods, making it difficult to detect. Additional challenges include shortages of personnel, specialised equipment, boats, fuel and professional expertise.

The status of Danube sturgeon populations remains critical. Of the six native species that historically inhabited the river, two have already disappeared from the region. Beluga sturgeon, Russian sturgeon and stellate sturgeon are classified as critically endangered, while sterlet is listed as endangered.

To preserve these species, conservationists are calling for the restoration of river habitats and migration routes, stronger enforcement and penalties for poaching, the development of scientifically grounded restocking programmes, and deeper cross-border cooperation between law enforcement and environmental authorities.

Comment by the Institute of Danube Research

The situation surrounding Danube sturgeons demonstrates that the formal existence of legal prohibitions does not in itself guarantee the preservation of endangered species. Sturgeon are migratory fish whose life cycle spans marine, deltaic and river ecosystems across several countries. Effective protection of their populations is therefore impossible within the national jurisdiction of a single state.

For Ukraine, the protection of sturgeons is particularly important, as the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta is one of the key natural areas for their migration, spawning and population recovery. At the same time, the war, limited environmental monitoring capacity, risks to border infrastructure and growing pressure on the river ecosystem create additional threats.

The Institute of Danube Research believes that the Lower Danube countries should move from fragmented measures towards a unified regional sturgeon protection system. Such a system should include real-time information exchange, coordinated patrols and investigations, harmonised records of wildlife offences, genetic identification of seized products, and stronger oversight of retail markets and online trade.

Support for fishing communities should become a separate policy priority. Without programmes promoting alternative employment, legal aquaculture, ecological tourism and compensation mechanisms, the economic incentives for poaching will persist.

The preservation of Danube sturgeon is not only an environmental task. It is also an indicator of the overall health of the Danube ecosystem, the effectiveness of cross-border governance and the ability of the region’s states to jointly protect their natural heritage. Unless poaching is substantially reduced, habitat restoration and restocking programmes will not deliver sustainable long-term results.