IMIS

Traditionally, sturgeon fisheries have provided livelihood for people as far upstream as Hungary and Slovakia. While considered a flagship species for the Danube River Basin and valuable indicators of water quality and ecosystem health, sturgeons are today on the brink of extinction due to the overexploitation, disruption of spawning migration and loss of habitats. In 2012, the Danube Sturgeon Task Force (DSTF) was established (with support by the ICPDR), and developed an action plan that can be summarized in four points: A) Basin-wide coordination of sturgeon policy and best-practice management, B) Legislation and enforcement controls for sturgeon fisheries and trade, C) Conservation of sturgeon species and populations, including their genetic integrity, and D) Protection, management and restoration of sturgeon habitats, including reopening of migration routes.