Three Thousand Young Sturgeons Released into the Danube

In an effort to restore the population of rare fish species, three thousand young sturgeons were released into the Danube River on the Romanian side, near the town of Isaccea. The activity took place within the framework of the international environmental project “LIFE-Boat 4 Sturgeon”, funded by the European Union.

According to the South-West Regional Environmental Inspectorate, the release included juveniles of the Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) — a species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Each fish was marked for monitoring:

• 2,000 with orange tags;
• 1,000 with blue tags.

This event is part of a broader cross-border initiative to preserve and restore sturgeon populations across the Danube and Black Sea basin.

Earlier, in May, on the International Day for Biological Diversity, a similar action took place at the Danube Biosphere Reserve in Ukraine, where 30,000 young sturgeons were released into the river.

 Comment by the Institute of Danube Research:

The Institute emphasizes that sturgeon restoration is not only an environmental act but a strategic goal for the entire Danube region.
Sturgeons — ancient “living fossils” that have existed for over 200 million years — are key indicators of river ecosystem health.

For Ukraine, participation in such initiatives marks an important step in EU environmental integration and restoration of Danube ecosystems affected by human activity and climate change.