WWF Study: Poaching and Illegal Trade Threaten Danube Sturgeon in Their Last Refuge

According to the data, the sterlet was particularly affected, accounting for 42 percent of documented cases. The study also records occurrences of stellate sturgeon, beluga sturgeon, and the extremely rare bastard sturgeon — also known as Russian sturgeon. Some confiscated beluga sturgeon — also called Hausen — were over two meters long and weighed 200 kilograms.

Affected Species and the Danube as a Refuge

According to the WWF, the Lower Danube is considered one of the last regions worldwide where four different sturgeon species have survived and reproduced to this day, despite all threats. Study author and WWF species conservation expert Jutta Jahrl explained that poaching and the illegal trade in sturgeon meat and caviar represent the greatest threat to these primordial fish. Since sturgeon are considered the world's most endangered group of animals, every sturgeon killed is a setback for the species' survival.

In addition to the meat and caviar, investigations also brought prohibited fishing gear into focus. In Bulgaria alone, authorities were able to confiscate 1,250 prohibited hook lines — so-called "Karmaci" — with a total length of more than 45 kilometers and approximately 54,000 hooks. This fishing method is considered particularly cruel, as the sturgeon can severely injure themselves on the many very sharp hooks attached to a long line. In the worst case, the sturgeon then struggle to survive for hours or even days.

Karmaci and the Cruelty of the Fishing Method

The WWF expert emphasized that the findings are only the tip of the iceberg, with the actual number of unreported cases far higher. From the organization's perspective, the study therefore reflects only a fraction of actual poaching. According to the study, the illegal persecution of the fish is a persistent problem in the Lower Danube.

The WWF calls for stricter enforcement of existing laws, increased controls, closer cross-border cooperation among the responsible authorities, and better monitoring and reporting systems. Jahrl said these crimes therefore need to be prosecuted more consistently. The organization also considers cross-border coordination of fisheries oversight among the Danube riparian states to be necessary.

WWF Demands to Politicians and Authorities

From the WWF's perspective, protecting the remaining populations is urgent because stocks of the four Danube sturgeon species recover only very slowly. Beluga sturgeon and bastard sturgeon reach sexual maturity only after many years and reproduce only rarely. Every loss of adult animals therefore weighs particularly heavily on the species' survival.

According to the WWF, the study is intended to serve as a basis for political discussions with the riparian states. The goal is to apply existing protection instruments more consistently and to expand cross-border cooperation in controls and prosecution. The organization announced plans to seek dialogue with national fisheries authorities.

The background to the analysis is a decline in the number of adult Danube sturgeons that has been ongoing for years. The WWF had already pointed to the decline in populations in earlier reports. With the ten-year seizure assessment now presented, the environmental organization aims to increase pressure on politicians and authorities to act.