The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday it is listing beluga sturgeon as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The listing takes effect six months from its April 21, 2004 announcement in the Federal Register.
"Unregulated overfishing, loss of spawning habitat, and poaching to supply the black market beluga caviar trade have all contributed to a notable decrease in the wild beluga sturgeon population," said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Steve Williams.
"Listing beluga sturgeon as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act brings this country's conservation requirements in line with existing international measures for the species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)," Williams explained.
Historically, beluga sturgeon inhabited a wide range throughout eastern Europe and central Asia. Now remaining wild beluga sturgeon populations are found only in the Black and Caspian Sea Basins.
In 1998, beluga and all other previously unlisted sturgeons and paddlefish were included in CITES Appendix II, which allows sustainable and controlled international trade for commercial and noncommercial purposes through a system of permits.
All sturgeon and paddlefish and their byproducts must be accompanied by valid CITES documentation to be legally imported into or exported from the United States.
Female beluga sturgeon are considered the world's most valuable commercially harvested fish because they supply beluga caviar, one of the most highly prized delicacies in the world.
The species is long-lived and slow to mature. On average, male fish mature between 10 and 16 years of age and spawn once every four to seven years. Females mature between 14 and 20 years of age and reproduce only once every four to eight years.
A listing as threatened provides a species with specific protections under the ESA and also allows the federal government to issue regulations needed to provide for conservation. Williams says the Fish and Wildlife Service will soon consider the development of a proposed special rule for beluga sturgeon to address measures it deems necessary to ensure the conservation of the species consistent with CITES provisions.
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