Sturgeon Spearing on the Lake Winnebago System, Wisconsin:  A Unique Sport Rich in Culture and Tradition The Lake Winnebago system in east-central Wisconsin is home to the largest self-sustaining population of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the world, while also being home to the unique sport of sturgeon spearing.  The annual sturgeon spearing season commences on the second Saturday in February and lasts for either 16 days or until sex-s...

Read More

The Iron Gates I and II dams between Romania and Serbia are a major barriers for sturgeon and other characteristic migratory Danube fish species. The dam complexes consists of weirs, ship locks and hydropower stations. The Iron gates are the first impassable obstacles in the Danube from the black sea and are located at ca. 850 km distance from the estuary in the Black Sea. Restoration of river connectivity at these sites would reopen a reach of m...

Read More

As announced during ISS7 in Nanaimo, Canada the 8th ISS is to take place in Vienna, Europe in September 2017 at the BOKU, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences. The conference is planned by the hosting organizations BOKU and IGb as a joint European team effort under the thematic umbrella “150 years of decline – how to turn the trend?” Vienna is located in the heart of Europe and is regarded one of the most beautiful historic capital ...

Read More

Based upon a petition to List 15 species of sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by NGOs, the USFWS and NOAA conducted a 90-Day Finding that in its risk summary concludes:“we find that the petition presents substantial scientific and commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.” “To ensure that this status review is comprehensive, we request scientific and commercial data and other information regardin...

Read More

At current Caspian Sea condition, one of the first priorities is to conserve sturgeon's gene pools via various approaches of live gene bank, DNA bank or Cryopreserved bank. This report covers an effort to address the conservation of sturgeon gene pool and to prevent further decline in sturgeon spawning stocks in the Sefidrud River and presents a suitable model for other valuable species threatened with extinction in any part of the world.   For d...

Read More

A new sturgeon farm will be established in Mazandaran, Iran. In an area of 5 hectares the plant will produce 250 t of fish and 7 t of caviar and will help meet the domestic and export requirements and generate jobs. This plant will be one of the largest sturgeon farm.   We report an article of Leila Imani, Iran Daily 2013, Nov 27   Read the article 

Read More

Ceremonial opening of the  new CENAKVA facilities of FFPW Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, Vodňany, Czech Republic organised by the University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, Vodňany, Czech Republic, September 26, 2013 

Read More

Russian Academy of Sciences, Biological Sciences, A.N.Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution (IPEE RAS) Ministry of Natural Resources of the Krasnodar region "Kubanbioresursy" -  International Workshop: - Biological and hydraulic basis of fish free passage in regulated rivers: achievements and failures  - 2013 September 16-21 Moscow – Krasnodar, Russia    During the Workshop, experts and specialists on fish passage and protection from Russi...

Read More

Good morning Winnebago Sturgeon Enthusiasts:You may be aware of a joint project between the Wisconsin DNR (WDNR) and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (MITW) to restore lake sturgeon to the Menominee Indian Reservation.  If you are not, the short version of the project is that before the construction of the Shawano Dam in 1892, sturgeon were able to migrate upstream to the Menominee Indian Reservation to utilize the ideal spawning habitat b...

Read More

In Deep Bay, Nanaimo, Canada, on July 23, WSCS (World Sturgeon Conservation Society) and NASPS (North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Society) approved an Affiliation agreement. “Thank you all for your constructive and improvement-oriented participation – over time – in developing, promoting and finally completing the affiliation process, thereby serving the  goals and objectives of WSCS and its affiliates. I believe that the somewhat long incub...

Read More

Spearers awaited the 2013 sturgeon spear fishery with great anticipation of the chance to harvest a potential record breaking fish. The number of sturgeon in the population has been increasing over the last 25+ years and recent harvests contained high percentages of "trophy" sized fish. In fact, 7 of the top 10 fish on record had been harvested in the past three seasons (2010-2012). The increase in adult population abundance and over-all size of ...

Read More

21.07 - 25.07July 23rd the updated and expanded second announcement for the International Sturgeon Symposium to be held in Nanaimo, Canada July 21-25, 2013 has been presented by Vancouver Island University and WSCS with their partners. The program is presented in detail and registration, abstract submission, workshops, Discussion Forums, side events, as well as the hosting city and its premises are introduced. Submission deadline for abstracts is...

Read More

The 7th International Symposium on Sturgeons (ISS7) meeting will take place in Nanaimo, Canada on July 21-25, 2013. Titled "Sturgeon, Science and Society - at the Crossroads: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century" this is the premier conference on sturgeons held every 4 years by the World Sturgeon Conservation Society. Over 600 delegates and 70 trade show companies from all over the world are expected.   ISS7 provides an opportunity to build...

Read More

Sturgeon spearing traditions were renewed over the last few days, as the 2013 Sturgeon Spear Fishery on the Winnebago System got underway. Opening day was one of mixed results, and for the most part went as predicted. Due to less than ideal ice conditions on Lake Winnebago and poor water clarity, the total harvest from Lake Winnebago was low with a total of 39 sturgeon being harvested. Spearers on the Upriver Lakes were much more successful, harv...

Read More

On December 3rd, at the Isola Serafini near Piacenza (Italy) a recently approved EU-Life-Nature project (LIFE11/NAT/IT188) was presented to invited experts and interested regional media. The project is called CONFLUPO attempting to re-establish the connectivity between Po River sections that are separated by a hydro-electric dam since 1962, The main target species is the Cobice, the Adriatic sturgeon, Acipenser naccarii, a species endemic to the ...

Read More

International Association for Danube Research launches an appeal to the decision makers and the wider public to support the implementation of the program Sturgeon 2020.From the six sturgeon species that populated the Danube, one is already extinct, while the others are critically endangered, with the stocks under continuous decline. Hence, urgent measures are needed to prevent the disappearance of these flagship species and protect their habitats...

Read More

The International Symposia on Sturgeons (ISS) are held at four-year intervals to provide a global platform to assess the progress made in both conservation and aquaculture but also to discuss and develop science-based recommendations that serve as guiding principles for future research and management measures. The upcoming 7th ISS is taking place from July 21- 25, 2013, co-hosted by Vancouver Island University (VIU) and the City of Nanaimo, Canad...

Read More

Wisconsin's sturgeon spawning season in the Lake Winnebago, Fox, and Wolf River system heads towards new all time highs. Latest counts indicate the population to be still increasing and extremely large fish showing up. Between March 17th and April 17th repeated spawning events of Lake sturgeon (A. fulvescens have been reported by Wisconsin DNR teams. The ultimate achievement for this year is the first reproduction of lake sturgeon in the river se...

Read More

During a workshop in Vienna, initiated by the International Association for Danube Research (IAD) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a task-force for the conservation of sturgeons in the Danube River Basin and adjacent areas of the Black Sea was established on January 20th 2012. The aim of this task-force is to coordinate and foster the implementation of the Action Plan for Danube River Sturgeons adopted under the Bern Convention in 2005. ...

Read More

Opening day of the 2012 sturgeon spearing system on the Winnebago Lakes lived-up very close to pre-season expectations: Significantly reduced numbers of spearers on Lake Winnebago and fair water quality resulted in a modern record low harvest for an opening day on the big lake with 39 fish, while close to normal effort and clear water resulted in a higher than average opening day harvest of 171 fish from the Upriver Lakes lottery fishery. The reg...

Read More