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WWF report: 6.5 tonnes of sturgeon and 263 kg of caviar seized in the Lower Danube over ten years

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Wide river with reed beds and calm water under morning mist Interesting Facts
Wide river with reed beds and calm water under morning mist

Bulgarian authorities seized 1,250 illegal longlines with about 54,000 hooks but only 25 sturgeon between 2016 and 2025; an indefinite fishing ban has applied in Bulgarian waters since January.

At least 263 kg of illegal caviar and around 6.5 tonnes of sturgeon meat and whole fish, along with large quantities of prohibited fishing gear, were seized by the authorities over ten years, according to a WWF report reported by BTA on 2 November. The report analyses official data from Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine for 2016-2025.

At least 3,366 sturgeon, or a minimum of 6.5 tonnes, were affected by documented wildlife crimes in the Lower Danube, home to some of the last wild populations of these fish. The report records 509 confirmed incidents involving sturgeon or banned fishing gear: 235 in Romania, 175 in Bulgaria and 99 in Ukraine.

One of the most striking findings concerns Bulgaria. Over the ten years, Bulgarian authorities seized 1,250 illegal longlines, long ropes fitted with many large hooks that snag fish in the body. The gear had a combined length of more than 45 km and about 54,000 hooks. Yet only 25 sturgeon were officially seized in Bulgaria over the whole period, WWF said.

"Every fish lost to poaching is a setback for populations that are already on the brink of extinction," said Beate Striebel, head of WWF's Sturgeon Initiative. The report identifies hotspots where illegal activity overlaps with key habitats, including Vratsa District in Bulgaria, Tulcea County in Romania and Odesa Region in Ukraine. WWF stressed that the number of recorded incidents depends on enforcement and access and is not a direct measure of the scale of poaching.

All four remaining native Danube sturgeon species are affected: sterlet, stellate sturgeon, Russian sturgeon and beluga. Seized specimens included beluga longer than two metres and weighing up to 200 kg.

An indefinite ban on fishing for beluga, Russian sturgeon, stellate sturgeon and sterlet in the Bulgarian section of the Danube and in the Black Sea came into force on 1 January 2026, under an order of the environment and agriculture ministers.

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