"Sensational Discovery": Sturgeon Believed to Be Extinct Rediscovered

A Croatian angler caught a specimen of the sturgeon, believed to be extinct, in the Drava River in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube, as reported by the WWF. The animal, named "Patrick," was measured and weighed before being released alive: 176 centimeters long and 35 kilograms heavy. WWF Austria described it as a "sensational find."

WWF calls for implementation of EU restoration law

"In times of species extinction, there are hardly any better news than the sighting of a species believed to be lost," said WWF expert Jutta Jahrl. However, several reproductive animals would be needed to establish a stable population. The last confirmed sighting of a ship sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris) in the region was 15 years ago. In 2021, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) officially declared the species locally extinct in the Danube basin. The WWF calls for an ambitious implementation of the EU restoration law. The greatest potential lies in the restoration of natural river landscapes. Only in this way do fish like the ship sturgeon have a chance. Historically, six sturgeon species lived in the Danube, and the four remaining ones are, according to the conservation organization, critically endangered.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.