2012. Review of Significant Trade - Cites

Huso huso
2011, delegations of all five Caspian countries discussed a plan for a five year moratorium
on harvest of all sturgeon species in the Caspian Sea (Sharov, 2011). The agenda of the
32 nd session of the Commission, to be held in December 2011 was reported to include the
issue of a moratorium on catching all species of sturgeon (R. Hajiyev in litt. to UNEP-
WCMC, 2011).
In 2006, the Caspian countries adopted the ‘Interstate Programme on the study of the
distribution, abundance, stocks assessment, food supply and TAC determination of Caspian
Sea sturgeons in 2007-2009’ (Anonymous, 2006, cited in Sharov, 2011). According to the
Programme, the Caspian-wide trawl survey was defined as the principal method of
sturgeon stock assessment, with a total of 450 fixed stations sampled across the Caspian Sea
during summertime (Sharov, 2011). All former Soviet Union member countries employ a
fixed transect trawl survey, while Iran has adopted a stratified random survey design,
following FAO’s recommendation (Sharov, 2011).
Sturgeon stock assessment and total allowable catch (TAC) methodologies were reviewed
for the Caspian range States at the 25 th meeting of the CITES Animals Committee (AC24
Doc. 12.2; AC25 Doc. 16.2). The Committee concurred that current stock assessment methods
were inadequate and agreed that insufficient sturgeon stock assessment expertise in the
region and appropriate institutional structure to support such activities were major
impediments to progress (AC25 Summary Record and a number of recommendations were
made (AC25 WG4 Doc. 1; AC25 Summary Record; IISD, 2011).
The immediate future of H. huso appears to be dependent upon restocking (Kottelat and
Freyhof, 2007). However, the use of aquaculture and hatcheries to support wild populations
of sturgeons has been subject to criticisms, including: the emphasis of hatchery output over
fisheries management and reducing fishing mortality (Doukakis et al., 2010); difficulties in
genetic management and lack of wild stock (Abdolhay, 2004; Doukakis et al., 2010);
hatchery-reared specimens lacking homing fidelity (which is needed to find the natal river
and also to arrive at the spawning site at the correct time) (Lagutov and Lagutov, 2008);
issues with interactions between hatchery-reared fish and native populations (including
genetic erosion, behavioural changes and the introduction of disease) (Abdolhay, 2004); low
survival rates of fingerlings from some hatcheries (Lagutov and Lagutov, 2008); and the
opportunity to launder illegally-obtained caviar in aquaculture operations (Sellar, 2006).
C. Country reviews
AZERBAIJAN
Distribution in range State: The coastal waters of Azerbaijan were reported to be important
winter feeding grounds for H. huso (CITES Management Authority of Azerbaijan, cited in
TRAFFIC International et al., 2000). It was reported that sturgeons no longer used the Kura
River and may be almost extinct (Khodorevskaya, 1997; Levin, 1997).
Population trends and status: The CITES MA of Azerbaijan expressed concern over the
status of H. huso stocks in the country noting poor natural reproduction and a lack of
spawners to contribute to the country's sturgeon hatcheries (R. Hajiyev in litt. to UNEP-
WCMC, 2011). They reported a reduction in the quantity, average population mass and
population replenishment, along with changes in the qualitative structure of the population
(R. Hajiyev in litt. to UNEP-WCMC, 2011).
A “considerable decline” in sturgeons throughout the region was attributed to overfishing,
especially the selective catch of large spawning females and of smaller individuals with less
commercial value within the quotas of hatcheries (WWF, 2010). Annual research trawl
catches found two specimens in 2005, one in 2006 and no more until 2011, when one
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