Каспинфо
ноябрь 2001

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Название: Сохранение осетровых: проблемы и решения на англ. языке
Главные Пункты:
* Ученые, представители государственных структур и НПО, продавцы черной икры из 11 стран мира, участвовавшие во встрече по проблемам сохранения мировой популяции осетра (9-11 февраля 2001 г., Москва), одной из главных причин вымирания осетра назвали отсутствие международного сотрудничества в этой области. Основные меры по спасению осетровых ресурсов: контроль за незаконным ловом; повышение эффективности программ по воспроизведению осетровых; подписание региональных соглашений по сохранению и управлению осетровыми ресурсами на Каспийском и др. морях и на реке Амур.
* IUCN, TRAFFIC, RPO WWF представили концепцию сохранения осетровых в России. Первоочередные меры: введение госмонополии на лов, переработку и торговлю осетровыми; введение моратория на коммерческий лов осетровых в Каспийском море и др. водоемах; разработка новых технологий искусственного разведения осетровых; заключение межправительственного соглашения между прикаспийскими государствами.
(21.11.2001)

Полный Текст
Сохранение осетровых: проблемы и решения на англ. языке
Сохранение осетровых: проблемы и решения на англ. языке

***
Experts outline action for sturgeon conservation
Gland, 13 February, 2001 (IUCN) - Scientists and caviar traders have
gathered for the first time to form an action plan to halt the rapid
decline of the world's sturgeon species, highly valued for both caviar
and meat.
Several of the 27 sturgeon species have a high commercial value on
international markets, for caviar, meat, as well as sport fishing in
North America. Populations are declining through increased poaching,
illegal trade, habitat loss due to dam construction (preventing
migration to spawning grounds), pollution, inefficient aquaculture and
re-stocking techniques, lack of regional co-operation in conservation
programmes, and poor law enforcement. As sturgeon are migratory fish
that regularly cross international borders as part of their life
cycle, international co-operation is a critical component of any plan
to conserve them.
More than 40 experts, including scientists, government and
non-governmental organization representatives, and caviar traders from
11 countries gathered in Moscow over the weekend (9-11 February) to
identify priorities for sturgeon conservation and form recommendations
for action.
Annual legal catches continue to decrease despite government attempts
at re-stocking that involve releasing millions of young fish annually.
The many causes of the decline were discussed at the meeting, the
first of IUCN's Sturgeon Specialist Group.
The meeting included a review of the status of wild sturgeon
populations, a discussion of conservation initiatives currently
underway, and some perspectives from international traders.
Presentations from Russia, China, Romania and Azerbaijan all indicated
rapidly declining legal catches of sturgeon over several decades
indicating declining stocks, particularly since the breakup of the
USSR.
Caviar traders shared their concerns about their industry and noted
problems with product quality and escalating prices. They also
reported a marked decline in demand.
In the late 1990s, in response to international concern over the
survival of sturgeon, both the Convention on the Conservation of
Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) included sturgeon on their lists of concern. CITES, which
controls international trade in caviar and other sturgeon products and
to which most producer and consumer countries are signatories, placed
sturgeons on Appendix II - meaning all international trade would be
strictly controlled by both importing and exporting countries. Given
the continuing urgent situation, CITES has recommended highly reduced
international trade until producer countries can show that any
proposed trade will not threaten the species in the wild.
The critical situation for sturgeon, particularly in the Caspian Sea,
Azov Sea, Amur River and Yangtze River were highlighted during the
meeting. "The priority problems to address include poaching and
illegal trade, low efficiency of aquaculture and re-stocking, and a
lack of international and regional co-operation for sturgeon
conservation," says Dr. Mohammed Pourkazemi, Chair of the Sturgeon
Specialist Group. "Attention should be directed at threats posed by
dams, mining, pollution, and the lack of reliable stock assessments,
adequate legislation and enforcement effort. There is an urgent need
to restore sturgeon habitat as well as the various species that are
threatened, whether or not they have a commercial value", he added.
While recognising the complex nature of issues facing sturgeon
conservation, the experts' recommendations for future action include
the following:
T Control poaching and illegal trade in caviar through:
T development and implementation of regional trade and law enforcement
agreements;
T improvement of social and economic conditions of people in the
sturgeon range states;
T improved enforcement of existing laws.
T Improve efficiency in aquaculture, stock assessment and re-stocking
through:
T development of a unified method for stock assessment and monitoring;

T formulation of a "code of conduct" for each species that will
increase the effectiveness of re-stocking programmes.
T Improve regional and international co-operation for sturgeon
conservation through:
T regional agreements for sturgeon conservation and management
particularly for the Amur River, the Black Sea, Azov Sea, and the
Caspian Sea;
T identification of potential protected areas in sturgeon habitat;
T national level action stimulated by NGOs, the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO), conventions and other
organizations;
T funding support for sturgeon conservation from major financial and
economic mechanisms such as the Global Environment Facility and World
Bank as well as the private sector;
T increased public awareness of the threats facing sturgeon and
opportunities for their conservation;
T an information exchange network involving all parties involved in
sturgeon conservation including FAO, Convention on Biological
Diversity, Sturgeon Specialist Group, Convention on Migratory Species,
and IUCN's European Sustainable Use Specialist Group.

***
PROPOSALS ON THE PRIORITY MEASURES TO
MAINTAIN AND RESTORE STURGEON POPULATIONS
IN RUSSIA
Proposals from Russian public organizations
(IUCN CIS Office, TRAFFIC Russia, RPO WWF)

At present there is a real threat to the survival of natural
populations of sturgeon species in Russia. The main limiting factors
for natural populations of the sturgeon are:
1. The excessive removal of sturgeon species from nature as a result
of mass illegal fishing. The volumes of poaching exceed the levels of
legal harvest:
- in the Caspian Sea - by 11 times,
- in the Azov Sea - by 50 times,
- in the Yenissey river - by 3 times;

2. The decrease in the natural reproduction because of:
- the shrinking of the areas of accessible spawning grounds resulting
from the construction of dams and other types of economic activity in
the spawning river-beds,
- the lower reproductive potential of the populations as a result of
high pollution,
- the defects in the sex structure of spawning populations as a result
of selective removal of female species in the illegal harvest;
3. The decrease in and insufficient effectiveness of artificial
breeding, caused by:
- difficulties in procuring the necessary amount of quality spawners,
- the low effectiveness of the existing biotechnology of artificial
breeding,
- physical and moral wear-and-tear of hatchery equipment.

Proceeding from the analysis of the situation in Russia and the
world, as well as from the forecast for sturgeon conservation in the
near future, the Russian public organizations, namely: IUCN CIS
Office, TRAFFIC Russia and RPO WWF, have decided to join their efforts
and come out with a joint draft plan of priority measures. Their
realization will allow to diminish the adverse effects on the
populations of sturgeon species and will promote their restoration.


WE PROPOSE:

1. To decrease the illegal removal of sturgeon species from nature and
stop their illegal selling, which makes it necessary:
- To introduce corresponding changes in the legislation and
regulations aimed to introduce more severe sanctions, first of all,
economic sanctions against the offenders,
- To introduce state monopoly on harvesting, processing and selling
sturgeon fish,
- To announce a moratorium on the removal of sturgeon species from
nature for commercial purposes by all the states of the Caspian and
Azov basins, as well as the Arctic region and the Amur river,
- To announce a moratorium on commercial use of roe of sturgeon
species removed from nature, processed into food products,
- To develop an economically effective aquaculture of sturgeon species
to fill the market;

2. To raise the efficiency of reproduction of sturgeon populations. To
achieve this it is necessary:
- to develop new bio-technologies of artificial breeding of sturgeon
species, based on:
- selecting quality spawners and their repeated use,
- creating stocks of breeders,
- using quality water and feeding-stuffs,
- constant teratological monitoring of fingerlings' development
- reintroduction into nature of viable fingerlings.
- To build new hatcheries based on modern bio-technology and
reconstruct the old ones; to lower the costs of artificial
reproduction of sturgeon fingerlings - to tie the production of
fingerlings reintroduced into nature with the production of fish for
sale in the aquaculture,
- To assess the scope of sturgeon fingerling reintroduction necessary
for expanded reproduction,
- To develop objective measures of evaluating the efficiency of
sturgeon reintroduction into nature, for this aim - to establish and
introduce a standard system of monitoring the state of natural
populations, including their quantities, sex structure and ranges,
- To analyze the state of natural reproduction of sturgeon species and
establish an effective system of protection for the existing natural
spawning grounds,
- To create, where necessary, artificial spawning grounds and restore
those destroyed by economic activities;

3. To preserve the genetic fund of sturgeon species, including the following:
- To maintain the existing and create new live collections with the
use of capacities and facilities of trade sturgeon fisheries,
- To support for the existing sperm cryo-banks and creation of new ones,
- To prohibit arbitrary introduction of sturgeon species in the
habitats of other species and/or populations.

On the international and/or intergovernmental levels:
4. To conclude intergovernmental agreements between Russia, Iran,
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan on the preservation and rational
use of the populations of Caspian sturgeon species, as well as between
Russia and China on the preservation and joint use of the Amur sturgeon stocks.
5. To create conditions for successful implementation of the SITEC
requirements, including the following:
- to elaborate and adopt uniform standard for exporting and importing
countries methods and procedure of identifying sturgeon species and
their by-products, to create standard collections of samples selected
with the help of uniform methods and procedures,
- to develop and adopt a system uniform for all the exporters and
importers of marking the products made of sturgeon fish,
- to study the structure of certain sturgeon species in order to
identify interspecies types and to specify their taxonomic status.