2012. Review of Significant Trade - Cites

Huso huso
Management: A total ban on sturgeon fishing in the Black Sea was implemented in 2007,
2008 and 2011; this was extended to include the Danube River in May 2011 (T. Slaveykova in
litt. to UNEP-WCMC, 2011), as a prelude to a five year ban scheduled for 2012 (ICPDR, 2011;
A. Tsekov in litt. to UNEP-WCMC, 2011).
Sturgeon catches in Bulgaria are managed by the National Agency for Fisheries and
Aquaculture at the Ministry of Agriculture (A. Tsekov in litt. to UNEP-WCMC, 2011). The
main sources of information for non-detriment findings in Bulgaria are the ‘Action plan for
sturgeon species in the Bulgarian area of the Danube River and the Black Sea’
(Zhivkov et al., 2001) and information from the Executive Agency for Fisheries and
Aquaculture (T. Slaveykova in litt. to UNEP-WCMC, 2011).
The CITES MA of Bulgaria provided information on three pieces of legislation providing
protection to H. huso:
Article 41 of the Biodiversity Act provides protection and regulates the use of the
species, prohibiting the use of specified non-selective gear and fishing methods;
the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act regulates the use, method and timing of fishing,
the equipment and conditions, a fish trading system for reporting and control, and
conservation of fisheries resources;
the ‘Ordinance for a year-round ban on fishing in the Black Sea and Danube’ defined
a ban on fishing of sturgeon in the Black Sea in 2007 and 2008, no ban in 2009 and
2010 and a ban on the Black Sea and Danube River in 2011 (T. Slaveykova in litt. to
UNEP-WCMC, 2011).
Bulgaria was reported to produce H. huso by aquaculture (Bronzi, 2007), and the first H. huso
generation from artificial reproduction was in May 2008 (Tsekov in litt. to UNEP-WCMC,
2011). Two fish farms exclusively producing sturgeon meat were reported to operate in the
country and a further four produced sturgeon meat as a side product (Bronzi, 2007).
Bulgaria stocked 41 000 young H. huso into the Danube River between 1998 and 2005, and at
a level of 5000 H. huso after 2006 (DDNI, 2011). According to an Order of the Ministers of
Agriculture and Forestry and of the Environmental Protection and Waters, restocking of
between 30 and 120 fish was required for each kilogram of caviar exported. Consequently,
during 2006 and 2008 when caviar export quotas were not established, export companies
were not obliged to restock and no restocking took place (Hubenova et al., 2009). Since 2008,
restocking was the main task for the National Program for Support of the Stable Growth of
Fish Resources, releasing 20 000 H. huso in 2008 (Hubenova et al., 2009). However, the CITES
MA of Bulgaria stated that stocking was discontinued after the ban on production of caviar
from wild-caught specimens (T. Slaveykova in litt. to UNEP-WCMC, 2011).
GEORGIA
Distribution in range State: The southeast coast of the Black Sea is an important feeding
and wintering area for sturgeon (including H. huso) that migrate upstream for spawning, the
main rivers being the Supsa, Inguri, Chorokhi and the Rioni (Georgia, 2010; Zarkua and
Tsuladze, 1999, cited in TRAFFIC International et al., 2000). The only sturgeon spawning
ground in Georgia was reported to be the Rioni, which was reduced from 57 km in 1922 to
9 km in 2007 (Guchmanidze, 2009).
Population trends and status: Historically low numbers were recorded for all sturgeon
species in Georgian waters during a 2007 assessment (Guchmanidze, 2009; WWF, 2010) and,
accordingly, all sturgeon species were included in the Red List of Georgia (Georgia, 2010).
Based on a study implemented during the period 2006-2008, the number of H. huso in
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