Beluga Sturgeon Stock Overestimated
Beluga sturgeon, the world's most valuable fish, are on the verge of extinction after the international watchdog on endangered species overestimated remaining stocks, scientists have warned. Researchers believe that lack of independent scrutiny of the estimates of sturgeon stock has led...
Beluga sturgeon, the world's most valuable fish, are on the verge of extinction after the international watchdog on endangered species overestimated remaining stocks, scientists have warned.
Researchers believe that lack of independent scrutiny of the estimates of sturgeon stock has led officials of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to fix quotas for caviar exports which will effectively wipe out the species.
Quotas for the fish have been increased for three of the four countries around the Caspian sea.
Beluga caviar, known as black gold, and worth more than £2,000 a kilo, is a money spinner for the countries around the Caspian: Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Russia. Between them they came up with an estimate of beluga numbers which appeared to show an increase from 7.6 million in 1998 to 11.6 million last year.
Numbers of belugas actually caught have been plummeting for 30 years.
Since the break-up of the Soviet Union controls on sturgeon catches have been lax and gangs with high-speed boats have been able to outrun the authorities.
Researchers believe that lack of independent scrutiny of the estimates of sturgeon stock has led officials of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to fix quotas for caviar exports which will effectively wipe out the species.
Quotas for the fish have been increased for three of the four countries around the Caspian sea.
Beluga caviar, known as black gold, and worth more than £2,000 a kilo, is a money spinner for the countries around the Caspian: Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Russia. Between them they came up with an estimate of beluga numbers which appeared to show an increase from 7.6 million in 1998 to 11.6 million last year.
Numbers of belugas actually caught have been plummeting for 30 years.
Since the break-up of the Soviet Union controls on sturgeon catches have been lax and gangs with high-speed boats have been able to outrun the authorities.
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