A sterlet recently caught in Bulgaria is believed to be a Ship Sturgeon, a species that hasn't been seen in the river for more than 30 years. The Action Plan for the Conservation of Sturgeons in the Danube River Basin will help restore sturgeon populations

Sturgeons were once abundant in the waters of the Danube; today two of the six sturgeon species native to the basin are considered extinct and the remaining four are on the brink of extinction. An Action Plan for the Conservation of Sturgeons in the Danube River Basin is helping restore sturgeon populations in the Danube and the Black Sea.

The plan, drafted by the International Association for Danube Research (IAD) and WWF, was recently accepted under the Bern Convention by the Council of Europe. According to the plan, restoring sturgeon populations requires more than simply limiting exploitation. "We need to open the Iron Gates to make migration possible," says Jürg Bloesch, former IAD president, "and to make sure that upstream countries prepare good grounds for spawning once sturgeons get there."

Sturgeon conservation needs basin-wide coordination. "The ICPDR", says Bloesch "is in a position to play a significant role in driving these actions and implementing measures." Healthy sturgeon populations could serve as indicators of river health and contribute to reaching "good ecological status" of the Danube River Basin as required by the EU Water Framework Directive. "If sturgeons can migrate and spawn, completing their natural life-cycle," says Bloesch, "that for me is a sign of good ecological status." For more information, please visit: www.iad.gs or www.wwf.at/stoer.

Kirstie Shepherd
is a freelance journalist living in Vienna
and has called the Danube River Basin home since 2000.