Why Are Beluga Sturgeon Endangered

The International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN is currently designating beluga sturgeon as critically endangered which is one step away from being classified as extinct in the wild.

Why are beluga sturgeon endangered. So no legal beluga fishing. During the 19th century the US was the global leader in caviar production having cornered 90 of the worlds caviar trade. Efforts are in place for limiting catch and trade of the Beluga Sturgeon which is found in the same area which is aiding the survival of the Russian Sturgeon.

Beluga Sturgeon populations have been devastated in part due to unremitting exploitation for their caviar considered the finest in the world. Adult beluga sturgeon have few natural predators but fishing pressure by people has been very high. The species does not have any dedicated conservation efforts at this current time.

Beluga whales are also culturally important to indigenous communities in the Arctic. 2020-06-29 Along with five other sturgeon species in the Danube Beluga sturgeon numbers have collapsed in recent decades due to overfishing and dams blocking their migratory routes. The gravest threat to their survival today is poaching to supply Europes flourishing illegal trade in wild caviar and meat.

In short because the Beluga sturgeon where the caviar eggs come from is critically endangered so there are laws set to protect these endangered species. As the routes of their migration is predictable and during the summer they approach the coasts. Several species of sturgeon are considered threatened with extinction as a result of over-fishing poaching water pollution damming and destruction of natural watercourses and habitats.

2010-03-22 Beluga sturgeon in the Caspian Sea have been reclassified as critically endangered. 2015-05-01 The beluga sturgeon is one of the only species of sturgeons that actively eats other fishes and is one of the largest predatory fishes on Earth. Each one is now the proud parent of a 45 metre 1000 kg sturgeon.

The skin of the Beluga among the cetaceans is thick enough to be tanned. Whales like the beluga are at the top of the food chain and have an important role in the overall health of the marine environment. 2020-04-29 For the first time beluga sturgeon in the Caspian Sea are listed as critically endangered as are all of the other commercially important Caspian Sea species the main producers of wild caviar.