site.btaBulgaria Bans Sturgeon Fishing in Danube and Black Sea

An indefinite ban on fishing for sturgeon species in the Bulgarian section of the Danube River and the Black Sea has been introduced by the Ministry of Environment and Water and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, effective from January 1, 2026. The ban was issued by the Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov and Minister of Agriculture and Food, Georgi Tahov, and is to be published in the State Gazette. 

The Environment Ministry says that sturgeon is among the most endangered species worldwide due to the loss of natural habitats, disruption of breeding migration corridors, water pollution, illegal fishing and the caviar trade. The recovery of natural sturgeon stocks is a lengthy process because these species have a long lifespan and only reach sexual maturity after many years. A robust legislative framework to protect these species is particularly important as they are migratory and represent a shared stock for countries in the Danube and Black Sea regions. They are included in the European Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Bulgaria's National Red Book and are protected by several international conventions and European legislation.

The order prohibits the fishing of the following sturgeon species in Bulgarian waters of the Danube River and the Black Sea: beluga (Huso huso), Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), starry sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus) and sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus).  The press release adds that the Danube is the last European river with viable populations of these four species. Two other species were previously found in the river: the European sea sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) and the Atlantic sturgeon (Huso nudiventris), both of which are now considered extinct.

National bans on fishing these four sturgeons for conservation and restoration purposes have been issued consecutively for the periods 2012–2015, 2016–2020 and 2021–2025, with no periods in between during which fishing for these species was permitted. The current national ban is the first to be indefinite.

The press release points out that a ban on sturgeon fishing in the Danube and Black Seas is currently in force in Romania, Serbia, Austria, Georgia, Russia and Turkiye.

This order may be amended or repealed if the conservation status of the species improves or if other changes are necessary (e.g. taxonomic changes).