Photocredit: WWF
The Danube has gained more than 1,000 new swimmers. In a quiet but significant conservation effort, scientists and environmentalists have released Russian and stellate sturgeon juveniles into the river, a bid to reverse the decline of some of the world's oldest surviving wildlife species.
The release, which took place in the end of February in Port Gruia, Mehedinți County, Romania, is part of the LIFEBoat 4 Sturgeons project—an ambitious cross-border initiative that aims to restore dwindling sturgeon populations in the Lower Danube and the Black Sea basin. The project, running from 2022 to 2030, is lead by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, and implemented in partnership with WWF-Romania, WWF-Bulgaria and WWF-Ukraine, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions, and Water Management of Austria, the City of Vienna, the Austrian waterway company viadonau, Revivo in Slovenia, MATE in Hungary.
Sturgeons, which have existed since the time of the dinosaurs, are now among the most critically endangered wildlife species in the world. Decades of illegal fishing for caviar, habitat destruction, and dam construction blocking migration routes have left wild populations teetering on the edge of collapse. The Danube, once a stronghold for these ancient fish, has seen their numbers plummet over the last century.
The recent reintroduction effort involved 500 Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) and 500 stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus), all carrying special identification tags to help scientists track their survival and migration. These fish were bred in dedicated hatcheries as part of the LIFEBoat project’s broader effort to establish a living gene bank—a safeguard against irreversible extinction. The aim of the project is to release 1,6 Mio sturgeons until 2030.
For conservationists, every juvenile sturgeon released represents a fragile hope. "Today, by releasing 1,000 sturgeon into the Danube, we are also releasing our hopes for the survival of these extraordinary species," said Cristina Munteanu, National Sturgeon Project Coordinator at WWF-Romania. “The LIFEBoat 4 Sturgeons project brings together specialists and authorities from across Europe in a race against time to ensure these ancient fish remain part of our natural world.”
The project, funded by the European Union, is one of the most ambitious conservation efforts for safeguarding sturgeon in Europe. Beyond LIFEBoat 4 Sturgeons WWF is working also on tackling the root causes of their decline—illegal fishing, bycatch and habitat degradation.
While habitat loss has played a major role in the species' decline, poaching for meat and caviar remains a serious threat in particular in the Lower Danube and Black Sea. The trade in sturgeon roe, which can fetch astronomical prices on the black market, has driven many species to near extinction.
Romanian authorities, including the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (ANPA) and the Romanian Border Police, have increased enforcement efforts to crack down on illegal caviar trafficking. But experts warn that stronger cross-border cooperation with Bulgaria and Ukraine and public awareness campaigns are needed to dismantle the networks behind the illicit trade.
Barbara Bendandi, Conservation Director at WWF-Romania, sees this latest release as a reminder of what’s at stake. "Each of these fish represents a small victory against extinction. Sturgeons have survived for millions of years, but whether they survive the next few decades is up to us."
