Balgarianovinite.com An indefinite ban on fishing for sturgeon species in the Bulgarian section of the Danube River and the Black Sea has been introduced by the Ministry of Environment and Water and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, effective from January 1, 2026. The ban was issued by the Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov and Minister of Agriculture and Food, Georgi Tahov, and is to be published in the State Gazette.
The Environment Ministry says that sturgeon is among the most endangered species worldwide due to the loss of natural habitats, disruption of breeding migration corridors, water pollution, illegal fishing and the caviar trade. The recovery of natural sturgeon stocks is a lengthy process because these species have a long lifespan and only reach sexual maturity after many years. A robust legislative framework to protect these species is particularly important as they are migratory and represent a shared stock for countries in the Danube and Black Sea regions. They are included in the European Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Bulgaria’s National Red Book and are protected by several international conventions and European legislation.
The order prohibits the fishing of the following sturgeon species in Bulgarian waters of the Danube River and the Black Sea: beluga (Huso huso), Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), starry sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus) and sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus). The press release adds that the Danube is the last European river with viable populations of these four species. Two other species were previously found in the river: the European sea sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) and the Atlantic sturgeon (Huso nudiventris), both of which are now considered extinct.
National bans on fishing these four sturgeons for conservation and restoration purposes have been issued consecutively for the periods 2012–2015, 2016–2020 and 2021–2025, with no periods in between during which fishing for these species was permitted. The current national ban is the first to be indefinite.
The press release points out that a ban on sturgeon fishing in the Danube and Black Seas is currently in force in Romania, Serbia, Austria, Georgia, Russia and Turkiye.
This order may be amended or repealed if the conservation status of the species improves or if other changes are necessary (e.g. taxonomic changes). Bulgaria Bans Sturgeon Fishing in Danube and Black Sea 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-12-10 17:09:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
