Plans will help restore native sturgeon, declared ‘royal fish’ by King Edward II.

A team of conservationists led by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) have launched the UK Sturgeon Conservation Strategy and Action Plan, to recover the numbers of native sturgeon in UK waters. Both species of native sturgeon (European and Atlantic) are both critically endangered.

The sturgeon was declared a ‘royal fish’ by King Edward II in the 14th century, and the action plan has been launched to mark the Coronation of King Charles III.

The plan outlines the necessary steps to restore the sturgeon population, and includes identifying essential habitats, restoring migratory passages and reducing accidental bycatch.

The UK-wide plan, follows successful conservation work in France and Germany that has helped save European sturgeons from extinction.

Sturgeons can grow up to five metres in length, with long whisker-like barbels and diamond-shaped armoured plates along their backs. Once common in UK rivers and along the coastline, their numbers have declined in the latter half of the 20th century due to overfishing and the construction of dams that have blocked their migration routes.

Hannah McCormick, one of the experts behind the plan said: “The decline of sturgeons is a worldwide problem: these ancient fish outlived the dinosaurs and in fact still closely resemble their ancestors, which swam in earth’s seas and rivers 100 million years ago. 

“But after pushing them to the very brink of extinction, all 26 sturgeon species are under threat of being lost forever – earning them the undesirable title of being the most threatened group of animals of the IUCN Red List. The UK Sturgeon Conservation Strategy and Action Plan offers a solid, evidence-based way forward to restore the species – and a vital chance to save them.” 

Ms McCormick added: “It’s fitting that we mark the historic Coronation of King Charles III with the launch of this important plan to restore a once royal fish to the UK.”

The action plan was created as part of the work of the UK Sturgeon Alliance, a team of scientists and conservationists from ZSL, Blue Marine Foundation, Institute of Fisheries Management, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Severn Rivers Trust, and Nature at Work.  

Image (C) Zoological Society of London