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Каспинфо январь 2001 |
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Название: Компания в защиту исчезающих осетровых (на английском)-I Главные Пункты: * Акция в защиту белуги и других видов осетровых, которым угрожает исчезновение, инициированная ведущими экологическими организациями мира. (23.01.2001) Полный Текст Компания в защиту исчезающих осетровых (на английском)-I "Caviar Emptor: Let the Connoisseur Beware" Campaign to Protect Critically Endangered Beluga Sturgeon and other Threatened Sturgeon Species Announced by Leading Environmental Groups Halt to Trade of Beluga Caviar Sought; Consumers Urged To Reduce Their Consumption WASHINGTON (December 6, 2000) Caviar, long a symbol of luxury, is emerging instead as a sign of environmental mismanagement as Caspian Sea sturgeon populations -- source of much of the world's caviar -- plummet. In response to the triple threat to sturgeon posed by overfishing, habitat loss and pollution, three leading environmental groups today announced a campaign to protect and help restore the world's remaining sturgeon populations. The initial focus of the groups' recommendations is on beluga, Russian and stellate sturgeon from the Caspian Sea, which produce the vast majority of the world's caviar. "Caviar Emptor," the new campaign unveiled by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and SeaWeb, today released Roe to Ruin: The Decline of Caspian Sea Sturgeon and the Road to Recovery. The report details the threats facing Caspian Sea sturgeon, particularly beluga, and the steps needed to achieve recovery. The campaign will file a formal petition this week asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list beluga sturgeon as an endangered species, which would halt importation of beluga caviar into the United States. In addition, the campaign will encourage the U.S. government to pursue an international ban on trade of beluga caviar at a meeting of an expert committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which convenes next week to review global trade in various sturgeon species. "Overfishing, habitat loss, pollution and poor regulations have collectively driven this species to the brink of extinction," said Dr. Ellen Pikitch, Director of Marine Programs of the Wildlife Conservation Society, headquartered at the Bronx Zoo. "Demand for caviar has driven the market value for this fish through the roof while at the same time cutting their life expectancy in half. Beluga sturgeon are nearing the point of no return," she added. "These ancient fish have survived the disappearance of dinosaurs from the planet, but will they survive us?" Sturgeon have declined precipitously due to overfishing, illegal trade, biological vulnerability, lack of effective fisheries management, and habitat degradation.The global caviar market has placed a premium on sturgeon, prompting overfishing and illegal poaching around the world. Moreover, sturgeon are a slow-growing species, so it is easy to quickly overfish a population and it can take decades to recover. Caviar Emptor proposes a number of actions that the U.S. government, international governing bodies, and consumers can take to prevent further decline, including promoting alternatives such as environmentally sound, farm-raised caviar. The United States accounts for roughly one-third of the world's caviar imports. It is also the second largest importer of beluga and Russian caviar in the world, importing about 28,000 pounds of beluga caviar in 1999. Therefore, the campaign recommends that the U.S. government take a series of actions, including: a.. Promote an international ban on all beluga caviar trade; b.. List beluga sturgeon as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act; c.. Pursue greater international funding for efforts to protect and restore Caspian Sea sturgeon; d.. Strengthen U.S enforcement of international trade restrictions on caviar imports; e.. Support environmentally sound aquaculture as an alternative to wild sturgeon caviar; f.. Strengthen state management of U.S. sturgeon species, which may come under increasing fishing pressure as Caspian Sea species decline. To help restore beluga populations, world governments must stop the international trade in beluga caviar and increase funding for key programs and initiatives needed to protect and restore all Caspian Sea sturgeon. "We are killing the goose that lays the golden egg," said Lisa Speer, senior policy analyst for the NRDC, referring to beluga sturgeon. "This is a true conservation emergency that will require concerted action on the part of consumers, the U.S. government and the international community to prevent the extinction of this extraordinary fish." Consumers can play an important role in restoring the species by buying less caviar, and not buying beluga. Caviar should be an item limited to only the most special occasions, and if consumers do choose to eat it, they should buy more sustainable alternatives. North Star Caviar, Yellowstone Caviar and caviar farmed in the United States are among the better available alternatives. "While caviar is perceived to be a luxury item and connotes a certain status, it's important for consumers to make wiser seafood choices and recognize that it is certainly in 'bad taste' to eat anything that is in such severe environmental decline," said Vikki Spruill, executive director of SeaWeb. Copies of Caviar Emptor's report Roe to Ruin: The Decline of Caspian Sea Sturgeon and the Road to Recovery are available online at http://www.caviaremptor.org. PRESS CONTACT: Charles Longer Fenton Communications 202.822.5200 x 223 # # # The Wildlife Conservation Society, headquartered at New York's Bronx Zoo, is dedicated to being the most effective conservation organization, protecting and promoting a world rich in wildlife and wilderness. WCS has been on the front lines of wildlife and habitat conservation since its founding in 1895. To learn more about WCS visit www.wcs.org. The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, non-profit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 400,000 members nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. More information is available through NRDC's Web site at www.nrdc.org. SeaWeb is a multimedia public education effort designed to raise awareness of the world's oceans and the life within. SeaWeb's outreach is anchored in science, with the goal of making ocean protection a high environmental priority in the United States and around the world. For more information visit www.seaweb.org Questions and Answers 12/4/00 1. What is caviar? Caviar is the eggs (or "roe") taken from female sturgeon, a "fossil" fish found in coastal waters, rivers and lakes of the Northern Hemisphere. 2. Where does caviar come from? The majority of the world's caviar comes from sturgeon of the Caspian Sea, an inland sea located between Russia and Iran. Three species of sturgeon produce most of the world's caviar: beluga sturgeon produces beluga caviar; Russian sturgeon produces osetra caviar and stellate sturgeon produces sevruga caviar. 3. What is the goal of the Caviar Emptor Campaign? The goal of the campaign is to promote recovery of sturgeon, fish that supply the world with caviar, and increase consumer awareness of the problems facing sturgeon and other fish. 4. Why focus on such an elite product? Caspian Sea sturgeon are emblemmatic of the major problems facing fish worldwide - overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution. In this instance, overfishing is fueled largely by the market for Caspian caviar, a luxury product no one really needs and for which there are a number of viable alternatives. Consumers should be aware that many other fish species are severely depleted. For more information, see www.seaweb.org, www.nrdc.org, www.wcs.org. 5. Is the United States an important consumer of caviar? Where does it come from? From 1989 to 1997, the U.S. imported an average of 59 metric tons of caviar per year at an annual average value of $6.6 million, and ranked # 3 in overall caviar imports. Caviar from the three Caspian Sea sturgeon species dominates the U.S. caviar market. Most caviar imported into the United States originates in Russia. The United States is the second largest importer of beluga and Russian caviar. Imports of beluga caviar totalled about 28,000 pounds in 1999. 6. What are the problems with sturgeon? Overharvest & Illegal Trade - Sturgeon are the principal source of one of the world's most expensive and sought-after luxury goods -- caviar. The global caviar market has placed a premium on sturgeon, prompting overfishing and illegal fishing or poaching around the world. A number of sturgeon producing countries, particularly Russia, have experienced severe political and economic upheaval in recent years, and black markets have flourished in the absence of effective enforcement. Biological vulnerability - Sturgeon can take from 6 - 25 years to reach sexual maturity and females of many species reproduce once every three to four years. This means that sturgeon have fewer offspring over a lifetime than fish that reproduce at an earlier age and more frequently. So, it's easy to overfish a sturgeon population and difficult for the population to recover to a healthy level, particularly while overfishing continues. Lack of Effective Management - Many populations of sturgeon and paddlefish migrate through the waters of different states and countries, often resulting in a patchwork of different catch levels, season and size limits, and other management measures. Many of the world's most imperiled sturgeon populations live in politically and economically unstable countries, further hampering effective management. Habitat degradation - Dam construction and water pollution on sturgeon spawning rivers have seriously hampered the ability of sturgeon populations to reproduce in the wild. 7. What are you recommending ? Consumers need to reduce their demand for caviar and particularly avoid beluga caviar. Internationally, governments need to: a.. stop international trade of beluga caviar; and b.. increase funding for key programs and initiatives needed to protect and restore all Caspian Sea sturgeon. The United States government needs to: a.. press for a halt to international trade in beluga caviar; b.. list beluga sturgeon as endangered under the Endangered Species Act; c.. increase US enforcement of international trade restrictions; d.. strengthen state management of US species of sturgeon which may suffer increased pressure as a result of the declining populations in the Caspian; and e.. promote environmentally sound aquaculture for caviar. 8. What alternatives to Caspian caviar should consumers look for? Better choices include the following: North Star Caviar/Yellowstone Caviar: North Star Caviar is a joint venture of two non-profit organizations, the Williston (North Dakota) Area Chamber of Commerce and the Friends of Fort Union Trading Post. Just across the Yellowstone River the Glendive Chamber of Commerce runs a similar program, marketed as Yellowstone Caviar. During the six-week recreational paddlefish season on the Yellowstone River, recreational anglers are given free fish cleaning in return for donation of eggs to the Chamber of Commerce. The anglers keep the paddlefish meat and the Chamber of Commerce runs a caviar processing operation. Proceeds are used to fund civic, cultural, and educational community projects as well as to support further research on how to protect paddlefish. Farmed sturgeon caviar: Few facilities in the U.S. are currently engaged in production of sturgeon, and fewer still in the production of caviar. Sturgeon aquaculture for commercial caviar is currently occurring only in California. It is said to most closely resemble the taste of osetra caviar. Farmed white sturgeon caviar is available from Sterling Caviar and Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, among others. 9. Are these really comparable alternatives? Don't chefs and food critics say there are significant differences in taste and quality between beluga caviar and farmed caviar? Taste is a subjective matter and chefs want to appeal to discerning customers. There are differences among all caviar; the alternatives are comparable to the so-called "finest." Most importantly, it would be in extremely bad taste to cause the extinction of a species through human consumption, particularly for a luxury item, that does not supply a significant protein source to a needy population. 10. How are these species already protected? How will your proposal go further? All 27 species of sturgeon and paddlefish, including the Caspian Sea species, are listed under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). As a result, trade in the three Caspian Sea species is subject to labeling and reporting requirements. While important, these requirements are not sufficient to protect and restore beluga sturgeon, which is in danger of extinction. We recommend a halt to international trade for beluga caviar and more aggressive conservation actions to protect all Caspian Sea sturgeon. In addition to CITES, 5 of the 10 species and subspecies of sturgeon and paddlefish in the United States are protected under the Endangered Species Act. We seek to list beluga sturgeon as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. 11. What impact would listing beluga sturgeon under the US Endangered Species Act have? The effect of listing beluga caviar under the United States Endangered Species Act will be to ban importation into to the United States of beluga caviar. The United States is the second largest importer of beluga caviar and imported about 28,000 pounds of beluga caviar in 1999. 12.Which countries control Caspian Sea sturgeon fishing and caviar production? Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Iran. 13. Why are you recommending an international trade ban on beluga caviar, but not caviar from the other Caspian Sea sturgeon? Beluga are in serious danger of extinction. In order for other sturgeon species to avoid a similar fate, conservation action is urgent. Absent strong and effective measures to protect all sturgeon, trade bans for the other Caspian Sea species may become necessary in the near future. 14. Is the real problem poaching and if so, aren't you just punishing fishermen who are abiding by the law? Poaching is a major problem, particularly for sturgeon of the Caspian Sea. Some of our recommendations will help support better fishery management and enforcement in the Caspian region, as well as in the United States. Major ne w resources are needed to support these efforts. 15. What is the significance of the Animals Committee meeting of CITES in December? What will happen there? In December, the CITES "Animals Committee" (a scientific committee of experts from around the world) will convene to review the status of a number of species of sturgeon, including the Caspian Sea species. The Committee is expected to develop questions directed to the countries where sturgeon occur (the "range states") to determine whether international trade is contributing to the detriment of the species. The range states will have an opportunity to respond, and depending on the response, management and/or trade recommendations may be adopted. 16. Do you have to kill the sturgeon to retrieve the caviar? Yes, although on some sturgeon farms have developed a method for performing cesareans, which allows caviar to be produced without killing the fish. 17. Will you take action on other sturgeon species? For now we are focusing on the three sturgeon species of the Caspian Sea because they provide 90% of the world's supply of caviar. Our report also makes recommendations for the conservation of United States species that are commercially exploited for caviar. 18. What about caviar from Iran? Should consumers eat that? The Iranian sturgeon fishery, which operates in the southern part of the Caspian Sea, is generally thought to be well-managed. About two-thirds of Iran's caviar production is osetra, most of which comes from a species of sturgeon known as Persian sturgeon which is native to the southern Caspian Sea. Only about 3% of the Iranian catch is beluga sturgeon. The United States began accepting imports of caviar from Iran last spring. 19. What about caviar from other countries like China and France? We have not evaluated caviar production from these countries, so we can neither recommend for or against caviar from those sources. 20. Are there problems with aquaculture? Why do you recommend farmed caviar? While there are environmental concerns regarding aquaculture, caviar derived from aquaculture is a much better choice for consumers concerned about endangered Caspian Sea sturgeon. 21. Isn't this just like the Give Swordfish a Break campaign? Have you just moved on to the next species and called for a boycott? This campaign is part of a larger movement to increase awareness of the impact consumers' choices have on fish. Our aim is to give consumers the information they need to make better choices of more sustainable seafood. 22. Which other countries are significant consumers of Caspian caviar? In addition to the United States, the European Union and Japan are major importers of Caspian caviar. There is also a very large domestic market for Caspian caviar in Russia. ******* Executive Summary Caviar. The very word evokes glamorous lifestyles, exotic travel and glittering festivities. Yet the world's source of this luxury item, the sturgeon, is in grave danger. Sturgeon have survived since the days the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The question now is whether these "living fossils" can survive the relentless fishing pressure, pollution and habitat destruction that have brought many species of sturgeon to the brink of extinction. Today, the 27 species of sturgeon and their close relatives, paddlefish, are in sharp decline, and those living in the Caspian Sea, the cradle of world caviar production, are in crisis. This report outlines the status of Caspian Sea sturgeon and recommends actions needed to protect these imperiled fish. Sturgeon are indeed remarkable fish. Clad in bony plates and equipped with broad snouts, some species of sturgeon live to be more than 100 years old and can grow up to 2,500 pounds and 15 feet-long. Like humans, many sturgeon species reproduce relatively late in life; some do not reach sexual maturity until the ages of 15 to 25. A single sturgeon can produce hundreds of pounds of roe, though the very largest fish are extremely rare today, following decades of overfishing. Sturgeon live in rivers, coastal marine waters and lakes in the Northern Hemisphere, and feed on bottom dwelling organisms such as worms, mollusks, small fish, shrimp and insect larvae. Sturgeon face six major problems: Overharvesting: Sturgeon are the principal source of one of the world's most expensive and sought-after luxury goods -- caviar. The fish eggs, or roe, are collected from female sturgeon after they have been caught and killed. The global caviar market has placed a premium on sturgeon, prompting overfishing and illegal fishing, or poaching, around the world. Illegal trade: Illegal trade of sturgeon and caviar exacerbates conservation problems. Sturgeon products, particularly caviar, are compact, easy to conceal, and extremely valuable. A number of sturgeon-producing countries, most notably Russia, have experienced political turmoil over the past decade; as a result, black markets have flourished at the same time fishery management and enforcement programs have collapsed. Life history characteristics: Sturgeon reproduce more slowly than other fish. They can take between six and 25 years to reach sexual maturity, and females of many sturgeon species reproduce once every three to four years. Therefore, sturgeon are vulnerable to overfishing and unable to recover quickly. In fact, depleted sturgeon populations may take a century or more to recover. In addition, their predictable migration patterns and bottom-feeding habits make them relatively easy prey for fishermen, who kill the fish to collect the roe. Lack of Effective Management: Many sturgeon and paddlefish migrate through the waters of different states and countries, often resulting in patchwork of catch levels, fishing seasons, size limits and other management measures. Many of the world's most imperiled sturgeon populations live in politically and economically unstable countries, further hampering effective management. Loss of habitat: Sturgeon migrate up rivers to spawn. Dam construction, diversion of river water for irrigation and other purposes, and siltation of spawning and rearing habitats have nearly eliminated spawning runs on many large river systems used by sturgeon. Dams also alter river flow patterns, disrupting the natural signals that sturgeon rely on in their spawning migrations. Fish "ladders," intended to help fish surmount dams, generally have been ineffective for sturgeon. Pollution: Pollutants from urban and agricultural runoff and industrial discharges have been linked to significant reproductive and other abnormalities in sturgeon, and to large fish kills. Some U.S. and international measures are in place to protect sturgeon. Of the eight species of sturgeon and one species of paddlefish found in the United States, five species or subspecies are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Internationally, all sturgeon species are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), two under Appendix I (under which international commercial trade is prohibited) and the rest under Appendix II (under which international trade is allowed only with a CITES permit from the management agency of the exporting nation). These measures are not enough, particularly for Caspian Sea sturgeon, which supply the majority of the world's caviar. Beluga sturgeon, the source of beluga caviar, is so depleted that it may no longer be reproducing naturally in the Caspian Sea region. To prevent extinction of this ancient fish and to prevent other sturgeon species from suffering the same fate, the Caviar Emptor Campaign, launched by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Wildlife Conservation Society and SeaWeb, has called for: a.. An international prohibition on trade in beluga caviar; b.. Listing of beluga sturgeon as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act; c.. Greater international funding for efforts to protect and restore Caspian Sea sturgeon; d.. Stronger U.S enforcement of international trade restrictions on caviar imports; e.. Support for environmentally sound aquaculture as an alternative to wild sturgeon caviar; f.. Stronger state management of U.S. sturgeon species. The campaign further recommends that consumers reduce their consumption of caviar and avoid beluga caviar altogether. If consumers do buy caviar, better choices include "aquacultured" caviar, North Star Caviar and Yellowstone Caviar. |