Sturgeon fish are disappearing in Ukraine: scientist raises alarm

According to glavcom.ua: Ukrainian scientists have officially reported the disappearance of two species of sturgeon fish - the Atlantic sturgeon and the ship sturgeon. These species can no longer be found in Ukrainian rivers, which poses a threat to other sturgeon representatives such as beluga, sterlet, and Russian sturgeon. Ichthyologist of the I.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Yulia Kutsokon, provided a comment for 'Glavkom' on this issue.

«Over the last century, six species of sturgeons have almost disappeared from the fauna of Ukraine, specifically, the officially recognized extinct Atlantic sturgeon and ship sturgeon,» - stated Yulia Kutsokon.

The situation is complicated by the fact that the process of officially listing species that require protection is slower than the speed of extinction of these fish. According to Kutsokon, the first edition of the 'Red Book of Ukraine' (from the Soviet era) did not include the mentioned fish species at all.

«Since 1994, about three dozen rare species have been accounted for, and in the next edition in 2009, their number increased to approximately 70,» - explained the scientist.

The problem of loss of rare fish species

The latest update of the list of species of Ukraine's fauna occurred in 2021, and a new edition has not yet been published. Even those species that have not yet been officially recognized as extinct are losing their chances of survival, particularly the Russian sturgeon, sterlet, as well as the ship sturgeon and beluga. The scientist noted that underfunding of the environmental protection system also deepens the problem of losing rare fish species.

«The conservation of rare fish species is complicated by insufficient funding for environmental protection measures and the state of reserves where the protection of aquatic ecosystems takes place,» - summarized the scientist.

Ukrainian scientists claim that two species of sturgeon fish - the Atlantic sturgeon and the ship sturgeon - have disappeared from Ukrainian rivers. This negatively affects other sturgeon species that are currently at risk. The problem is exacerbated by the slow process of listing species that need protection and the underfunding of environmental protection systems.