Re-establishment programme for Acipenser sturio L., 1758: The German approach

Acipenser sturio L., 1758 was a prevalent species of the fish communities in all major German rivers’ waters until the end of the 19th century. Since then, the population sizes decreased rapidly due to overfishing, pollution, and hydro-construction, and the last remaining population was observed in the Eider River until the 1960s. Recently, specimens have been observed in German waters only rarely. Until the end of the 1980s, neither politicians nor ecologists considered reestablishment measures feasible in Germany. In 1994, joint activities of scientists and aquaculturists led to the foundation of the Society to Save the Sturgeon (A. sturio L.), aimed at co-ordinating the A. sturio restoration measures in Germany. A federal programme was initiated, supporting in part the various subprojects dealing with this matter. Under a scientific co-operation agreement with France’s Cemagref, the Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Berlin received, in May 1996, juvenile A. sturio for the establishment of a broodstock, as an ex-situ measure to save the species. The IGB also carries out research on various aspects of A. sturio biology. Together with the Cemagref, genetic analyses of remaining populations and specimens are conducted as a basis for a long-term breeding programme. The broodstock development is carried out in co-operation with the Research Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where experiments with model species are performed within the framework of the programme. Evaluation measures for the restoration of A. sturio in the Odra and Elbe Rivers are carried out by the Society in collaboration with the Institute for Inland Fisheries of Poland. Additionally morphometric and meristic studies are conducted at the University of Rostock to characterise the species. The evaluation of the remaining populations in other European regions, in particular Romania and Georgia, is considered an important element for its future development. International co-operation in general is an essential aspect of future attempts to save the species.