HE sturgeon (Acipenser studio) They became extinct in Spain in the mid-20th century as a result of overfishing and the construction of barriers in the rivers where they lived, preventing their biology and reproduction. Now, A European program is trying to restore this species to Spanish riverbeds.
A total of 44 baby sturgeon from a research center in France, They were released on the Ebro a few weeks ago After it disappeared from the river half a century ago, within the framework of the European Commission’s LIFE MigratoEbre project. In fact, the sturgeon became extinct in Spain at the end of the 20th century and is now found in Europe only in France and Germany.
The sturgeons arrived in Catalonia about two months ago from the INRAE Experimental Station in Saint Seurin-sur-l’Isle in the Gironde (France) region to the Aquaculture Center (IRTA) in La Ràpita (Tarragona).
During the adaptation period of sturgeons in the IRTA of La Ràpita, some ultrasonic telemetry emitters that send information It is connected to underwater receivers installed at different points of the Ebro River and thus can control its development.
Those responsible for IRTA must ensure that a fisherman or Has anyone encountered a sturgeon?you should note what implant the animal has, take a few photos with your mobile phone, release it if it is alive, call 112 and send the photos, code and geolocation to email: [email protected]. If the specimen dies, the same steps should be followed and stored in a cool place until Village Representatives come and collect it.
One of the aims of the MigratoEbre program is to save European sturgeon in the Ebro, as well as to recover eel, scabbard and lamprey populations.
According to the Ministry of Ecological Transition, In addition to the Ebro, sturgeon was caught in the Tajo, Guadiana and Duero rivers. In the sea near the mouth of these waterways until the 1980s. Guadalquivir was already a rare drug in 1970According to the Ministry.
A very threatened group
Sturgeon and paddlefish They are the most endangered group of animal species on the planet.a: All 26 species in the world are in danger of extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species has confirmed the disappearance of two species in recent years: the Chinese paddlefish and the Yangtze sturgeon. Moreover, the bastard sturgeon has vanished from the Danube River, and seven other species in the world are now more threatened.
Almost two-thirds of sturgeon and paddlefish species are “Critically Endangered”. The report also highlights the ongoing loss of freshwater biodiversity and the worldwide degradation of rivers vital to people and nature, highlighting the WWF organisation.
Despite theoretically ambitious policies to protect sturgeon species in Europe, adopted by the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive, the situation of these animals continues to deteriorate across the continent, as the NGO condemns.
In fact, seven of the eight species in Europe were already classified as “Critically Endangered”. The sterlet sturgeon, the smallest sturgeon that lives exclusively in freshwater, has moved into the higher threat category and is now officially classified as “Endangered” by the IUCN.
More: Russian sturgeon declared extinct in the Danube River, its last refuge in the European Union (EU). This means the extinction of a species protected under the EU Habitats Directive on community territory.
Half of the caviar sold is illegal or fake
Exactly, a group of researchers discovered that: Half of the caviar (sturgeon product) sold is illegal and some is not even caviarbecause there is not even a trace of fish in it.
This is stated in a new study published in the journal. Current BiologyA group of scientists studied 150 commercial samples of caviar and sturgeon meat from four European countries —Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine — near some of the last remaining wild populations of fish species.
After analyzing the DNA and isotopic patterns of each sample, the team discovered: Only 21% of samples came from wild-caught sturgeon. They also found that 29% of samples violated CITES regulations and trade laws, including caviar that listed the wrong sturgeon species or the wrong country of origin.
One-third (32%) of samples were classified as “customer cheating”because they labeled caviar from aquaculture as wild sturgeon. “Our results show a persistent demand for wild sturgeon products, which is concerning,” the researchers write, arguing that persistent demand fuels poaching.
Three of the samples served in a dish called “sturgeon soup” in Romania were not sturgeon, but fakes made from other fish such as catfish and sea bass.
There are currently only four species of caviar-producing sturgeon left in Europe.All of these species, found only in the Danube River and the Black Sea, have been protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1998.
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Contact address of the environmental department:[email protected]