From January 1, 2026, a permanent ban on fishing for sturgeon species in the Bulgarian section of the Danube River and the Black Sea will be introduced. This is stated in an order by the Minister of Environment and Water, Manol Genov, and the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Georgi Tahov, which is to be published in the State Gazette, according to the Ministry of Environment on its official website.
The catching in the Bulgarian waters of the Danube River and the Black Sea of the following sturgeon species is prohibited: beluga, Russian sturgeon, sterlet, and ship sturgeon.
Sturgeon are among the most endangered species worldwide due to the loss of natural habitats, disruption of breeding migration corridors, water pollution, illegal fishing, and caviar trade, note the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW). They recall that in the past, German sturgeon and Atlantic sturgeon were also found in the Danube River.
National bans on the catching of beluga, Russian sturgeon, sterlet, and ship sturgeon to protect and restore the species have been issued successively for the periods 2012-2015, 2016-2020, and 2021-2025, with no periods in between during which the catching of sturgeon species was permitted. The current national ban is the first permanent one, also commented the MOEW. Bans have also been introduced in Romania, Serbia, Austria, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, and others.
An adequate legislative framework for the protection of sturgeon is of particular importance, as they represent a shared stock for the Danube and Black Sea countries as migrating species. They are included in the European Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as well as in the national Red Book of Bulgaria and are subject to protection under a number of international conventions and European acts, also explain the MOEW. And they add that the ban will enable the implementation of scientific and conservation projects for the protection of the species.
In August of this year, the non-governmental organization WWF Bulgaria announced the start of the cross-border initiative "MonStur" for the monitoring and protection of sturgeon, which will cover nine Danube countries. The three-year project foresees the participation of ministries, universities, non-governmental and research institutes.