Andromous sturgeons species have been classified as endangered species in global scale and entered into Reddata Book in many countries. It is well known that there were 6 or 7 sturgeon species inhabiting around Turkish Black Sea coast and entering rivers, mainly Kızılırmak, Yeşilırmak, Sakarya and Coruh for spawning. Stocks of these species declined sharply during 1970s due to overfishing, dam construction, habitat destruction and water pollution. As a result protection and mangement measurements have been implemented since then. However, situation of stocks and habitats has continued to worsen. On the other hand there has been no comprehensive study on the life cycle, population structure and habitats of these species. Therefore, situation of stocks and factors threatening these species are not documented. It is fact that protection and sustainability of these anadromous species are our major responsibility and moral issue. The main aim of the project is to determine current status of the stocks, habitats, genetic variation and to develop conservation and management strategies and plans.
The Project consists of 7 Workpackage including population structure, reproduction, habitat assessment (migration routes and spawning grounds), genetic variation between and within stocks, in vivo conservation of specimens caught as bycatch or illegally, development of management strategies and plans. The project will cover Turkish Black Sea coastline and Yeşilırmak, Kızılırmak ve Sakarya Rivers. Sampled and/or accidentally caught specimens will be tagged using PIT tags and released after taking required measurements and tissue samples for genetic analyses.
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