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Caspian sturgeons threatened by poaching
All five sturgeon species of the Caspian Sea, including the beluga, are Critically Endangered according to the 2022 IUCN assessment. The main threats are poaching for caviar, dams on spawning rivers and pollution.
Open on the interactive globeIn Kazakhstan, an anti-poaching operation on the Caspian coast and in the Ural and Kigach estuaries seized 2,376 sturgeons and 580 km of nets in 2025; the operation was repeated in April and May 2026. The same nets kill Caspian seals. Populations are supported by hatchery releases: the Atyrau hatchery released more than one million juvenile sturgeon into the Ural River in 2026.
Species
| Species | IUCN status | Population | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huso huso Huso huso | critically endangered (IUCN CR) | (2022) | nasps-sturgeon.org |
| Acipenser gueldenstaedtii Acipenser gueldenstaedtii | critically endangered (IUCN CR) | (2022) | nasps-sturgeon.org |
| Acipenser persicus Acipenser persicus | critically endangered (IUCN CR) | (2022) | nasps-sturgeon.org |
| Acipenser stellatus Acipenser stellatus | critically endangered (IUCN CR) | (2022) | nasps-sturgeon.org |
| Acipenser nudiventris Acipenser nudiventris | critically endangered (IUCN CR) | (2022) | nasps-sturgeon.org |
Needs
- anti-poaching
- habitat
Who is helping
Organisations that, according to their own publications, work on this event (1). Donations go directly to each organisation's own website - GLOBURNS does not handle payments.
- Atyrau Sturgeon HatcheryA state hatchery that has supported Caspian sturgeon populations for three decades by releasing juveniles into the Ural River. It is being modernised to produce 7.4…
Sources
- nasps-sturgeon.org nasps-sturgeon.org/iucn-assessment-2022/
- kaspika.org kaspika.org/en/2026/04/01/fighting-poachers-in-kazakhstan-2/
- timesca.com timesca.com/kazakhstan-restores-valuable-fish-species-in-the-caspian-sea-basin/
Seed record, before editorial verification. Every number links to its source; report errors on the Corrections page. Methodology · Corrections
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