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Published on: June 27, 2016
Poaching and illegal trade of Danube sturgeons
Arne Ludwig1, Jutta Jahrl2, Leonardo Congiu3
1Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany; IUCN Sturgeon Specialist Group.
Abstract:
A market study on sturgeon products in the Lower Danube countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine) resulted in a total of 149 samples of caviar and meat, which we subjected to genetic-isotope analyses. The samples comprised 31 samples (21%) of illegal wild-caught origin, 17 samples (11.4%) sold in violation of CITES and EU regulations, and 47 cases (32%) of consumer deception. Although poaching and illegal wildlife trade are often considered a problem in developing countries, these findings bear evidence that a high ratio of poached sturgeon products originates from EU and accession candidate states. Therefore, caviar and sturgeon trade urgently needs improvement to ensure that sturgeon populations will have a future.
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