Posted on 17 December
2013 - Caviar should be crossed off Christmas
gift lists whenever possible to give highly
endangered sturgeon a chance to recover
in the wild.
Sturgeon worldwide are
teetering on the brink of extinction because
of the persistent trade in their valuable
caviar.
Although legal fishing
is strictly regulated in most countries,
illegal fishing and trade continue. Caviar
is considered a delicacy and is one of the
world’s most expensive wildlife products.
"It's about being
aware of what you buy, and the impact it
can have on species and on the environment,"
said WWF's Sturgeon Expert, Jutta Jahrl,
“anyone planning to buy a gift of caviar
from wild sturgeon – for example Beluga
- should reconsider.”
All sturgeon species
are protected under the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES). At present, international
trade in wild caviar from shared stocks
- like the Caspian Sea or the Danube - is
not allowed.
According to trade statistics, the European
Union, the United States and Switzerland
are the largest importers of caviar with
81% of all legal caviar imports between
1998 and 2006. France and Germany are the
largest markets in Europe.
“One century ago, six
species of this ancient fish were native
to the Danube, but today five of them are
classified as critically endangered. The
main reason for this dramatic status is
the unsustainable appetite for caviar,”
said Jahrl.
In response to declining
numbers, most countries along the Danube
and the Black Sea have implemented catch
and trade bans. Caviar smugglers using sophisticated
methods also pose a dangerous threat to
sturgeon populations, making saving sturgeon
more that just a wildlife protection issue.
“The catch and trade
ban didn’t stop the proliferation of illegal
trade in caviar,” Jahrl said. “Continuing
seizures of illegal caviar in Europe indicate
that there is a thriving black market in
the whole region.”
Consumers determined
to buy caviar from sturgeon should be cautious
and make sure it comes in a tin or jar that
is sealed by a non-reusable CITES label.
The labelling requirements apply to all
caviar, whether from wild caught or from
farmed sturgeons.
WWF is working to secure
the long-term survival of sturgeon with
their high natural and economic value. WWF’s
EU project “Joint actions to raise awareness
on overexploitation of Danube sturgeons
in Romania and Bulgaria” aims to tackle
overfishing and poaching, the main threats
to the survival of Danube sturgeon.
In addition to overexploitation,
sturgeon populations are adversely affected
by the construction of dams, which interrupt
their spawning migration, and by habitat
changes meant to make the Danube more navigable.
