site.btaFishing of Sturgeon in Bulgaria Banned for Five More Years

Fishing of  Sturgeon in Bulgaria Banned for Five More Years

Sofia, January 29 (BTA) - The Fisheries and Aquacultures Executive Agency has published an order introducing a new five-year ban on sturgeon fishing in the Bulgarian territorial waters in the Danube and the Black Sea, the Bulgarian office of WWF, which works for the protection of the species here, said in a press release.

The order, signed by the ministers of agriculture and of environment, bans the fishing of the four species of sturgeon who are still spotted in the Danube and in the Black Sea: Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), Acipenser nilhenus, starry sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus), and European sturgeon (Huso huso). If caught accidentally, the fish is to be forthwith returned to the water. The order also bans the carriage, transportation and sale of sturgeon and products thereof caught in the Bulgarian territorial waters in the Danube and the Black Sea.

The previous ban on sturgeon fishing was introduced in 2011. The WWF press release says that although the ban is necessary, other serious and coordinated actions are needed as well for the protection of the species on the part of the countries along the Lower Danube.