First it was dams, then pollution -- but now the world's most endangered and valuable fish is facing its most threatening problem: human poachers.
Sturgeon eggs -- known as caviar -- are among the most valuable wildlife commodities on Earth, The New York Times reported Monday.
Worth about $2,500 a pound, poachers operate freely, bribing fishing inspectors and police officials. Some fishermen told the Times they pay $500 or more a month in bribes.
The Caspian sturgeon are covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, which mandates nations create conservation policies for threatened species. However, observers say though there is abundant political rhetoric, there is little enforcement.
Dr. Ellen Pikitch, co-author of a recent study in the journal Fish and Fisheries documenting sturgeon declines worldwide, told the Times: "My hope is that the fish can make it through this time when corruption is rampant in all manner of life. In the meantime we have to ... hope that the fish don't go extinct before these societies mature."
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
Related stories:
CITES caviar export quotas remain steady for beluga sturgeon despite threat of extinction
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) announced trade quotas governing the export of wild sturgeon and their prized caviar eggs from the Caspian Sea. The Pew Institute for Ocean Science has analyzed the quotas, which are re-set each year, and has determined that beluga caviar quotas are virtually unchanged from 2007 and do little to halt continued population declines.
Canada's pristine freshwater fisheries at risk
If you want to catch a trophy northern pike, walleye or brook trout in the northern Canadian wilderness, better plan your trip soon. That’s because according to a report released today by the Wildlife Conservation Society, looming development, including forestry, mining and dam construction, threatens this pristine region of untouched forests, wetlands, lakes and streams. But the authors of the report also say that that there is still time for government officials to enact safeguards ensuring that northern fisheries remain a valuable resource for the future.
Pallid sturgeon spawning in Missouri River
The rare pallid sturgeon has started spawning in the Missouri River between South Dakota and Nebraska, scientists said.
Endangered shortnose sturgeon saved in Hudson River
For the first time in U.S., and probably global, history a fish identified as endangered has been shown to have recovered -- and in the Hudson River, which flows through one of the world's largest population centers, New York City.
German rivers repopulated with sturgeon
Atlantic sturgeon from Canada are being transported to Germany for reintroduction into that nation's rivers.
Satellites track Caspian Sea sturgeon
Scientists working on the Ural River in Kazakhstan are using satellite technology to trace sturgeons into the Caspian Sea.
California reacts to sturgeon decline
California officials, having enacted emergency fishing rules to protect sturgeon, are considering long-term rules to become effective next year.
Sturgeon threatened with extinction
Sturgeon, the fish that produce black caviar, are at the brink of extinction, Miami researchers reported Thursday.