Sturgeon Collapse

“Eighty-five percent of sturgeon, one of the oldest families of fishes in existence, valued around the world for their precious roe, are at risk of extinction, making them the most threatened group of animals on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The latest update of the Red List assessed the status of 18 species of sturgeon from all over Europe and Asia and found that all were threatened. Twenty-seven species of sturgeon are on the IUCN Red List with 63 percent listed as Critically Endangered, the Red List’s highest category of threat. Four species are now possibly extinct . . . ’Sturgeon have survived dramatic change over the past 250 million years only to face the serious threat of becoming extinct as a direct result of human activities. Illegal catch, overfishing, the breaking up of the migratory routes and pollution are the key elements that have driven almost all species to the brink of extinction,’ says Dr Mohammad Pourkazemi, chair IUCN/SSC Sturgeon Specialist Group.”