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      1. Priority Species

Sturgeon

Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), Black Sea, Tendra, Ukraine

Living fossils in danger

These archaic giants of the water face numerous threats to their survival.

Despite surviving on Earth for millions of years, sturgeon are now vulnerable to overfishing and interference in their natural habitat. Several species are critically endangered and in danger of extinction.

Key Facts

  • Common Name

    Sturgeon

  • Family Name

    Acipenseridae

    Wikipedia

  • Endangered

    Some species are critically endangered

  • Location

    Eurasia and North America

  • Length

    Sturgeons can grow up to 5.5 m

  • Did you know?

    Weight for weight, some sturgeons are the most valuable of all harvested fish

  • Skin

    Sturgeon lack any fish scales

  • Weight

    Beluga sturgeons can weigh up to 2000 kg

  • Record Breaker

    Some sturgeon can live more than 100 years

Related links

More information

Food chain

Sturgeon feed on:
  • plants
  • crayfish
  • molluscs
  • insect larvae
Predators of sturgeon are:
  • humans
Sturgeon are harvested for their roe which is turned into caviar.

© Marco Veringa

Sturgeon are harvested for their roe which is turned into caviar.

Threats

Some species of sturgeon are harvested for their roe, which is made into caviar. The late sexual maturity of sturgeon (6-25 years) makes them more vulnerable to overfishing. It is estimated that the number of sturgeon in major basins has declined by 70% over the last century. During the 1990s, the total catch was dramatically increased by unprecedented illegal harvest. Poaching activity in the Volga-Caspian basin alone is estimated to be 10-12 times over the legal limits.

Further problems are caused by water pollution, damming, destruction and fragmentation of natural watercourses and habitats which affects migration routes and feeding and breeding grounds.

What is WWF doing?
WWF works to raise awareness of the risk of extinction facing the sturgeon and promotes the sustainable management of the species.

It aims to protect and restore vital habitats and migration routes, including for example the Danube floodplains, especially the Lower Danube Green Corridor.

WWF also intitiated and facilitated development of the Danube Sturgeon Action Plan, which has been adopted by the Bern Convention.

Photos and graphics © WWF or used with permission. Text available under a Creative Commons licence. RSS/Web Feeds

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