Context- A WWF report highlights 395 cases of illegal sturgeon fishing and trade from 2016 to 2023, impacting 1,031 sturgeon individuals.

About Sturgeon:

·        Ancient Origins: Sturgeons have existed since the age of dinosaurs.

·        Habitat: They typically inhabit freshwater, coastal waters, and inner seas in countries like Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Ukraine, and various European and North American regions.

Significance: Sturgeons are vital to many Northern Hemisphere rivers, symbolizing healthy, free-flowing river systems.

Global Threats: Sturgeons are heavily targeted for their caviar and meat, causing significant population declines.

Conservation Status:

·        Critically Endangered: Stellate sturgeon, Russian sturgeon, Beluga sturgeon

Endangered: Sterlet sturgeon