The Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University in New York (IOCS) on Friday praised the reclassification of Caspian Sea beluga sturgeon as “critically endangered.”
The species, which the conservation group says has been decimated due to its exploitation for black caviar, is now listed on Switzerland-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. The listing provides strong evidence that fishing and international trade should be halted and a stock-rebuilding plan should be initiated.
IOCS has been very vocal recently in urging a ban on the species, saying the fish are “at death’s door.”
“For those of us who have been involved in studying the rapid decline of this species over the past several decades, this reclassification of beluga sturgeon is of great significance and relief,” said Dr. Ellen Pikitch, professor and executive director of IOCS.
Caspian Sea beluga sturgeon were listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2004, and imports of its products into the United States have been banned since 2005.
