INCDM OUTLINE OF THE STURGEON STATUS OF THE NORTH-WESTERN BLACK SEA dr. S. Nicolaev, dr. T. Zaharia, dr. V. Maximov, dr. G. Radu NIRDEP - National Institute for Marine Research and Development Grigore Antipa 300 Mamaia Blvd. 900581 Constanta, Romania Email: office@alpha.rmri.ro Danube Sturgeon Task Force, Tulcea, 27-28 August 2012
THE BLACK SEA ECOSYSTEM PECULIARITIES Recent assessments reveal that, in the past 15 years, the Black Sea ecosystems showed the following trends: a) In the context of important re-structuring and re-shaping of the social and economic system of the states in the Black Sea catches area, dynamic changes in the marine ecosystem components were noticed consisting in an improvement of the physical and chemical parameters; b) Although the biological parameters show asymmetrical frequent improvements (at the structural, functional and productivity level), there is a trend towards a new dynamic equilibrium state of biological diversity and living resources; 2
THE BLACK SEA ECOSYSTEM PECULIARITIES (cont.) c) A more and more pronounced frequency and magnitude of extreme phenomena was observed, caused mainly by climate changes, whose effects are, in many occasions, amplified by the impact of human interventions in the marine and coastal environment; d) As the land-based sources pollution is still extremely important, the pressure upon land use, landscape, natural resources and water quality has reached unprecedented levels in coastal areas; e) Presented in a suggestive manner, the current state of the marine ecosystem can be compared to the state of a convalescent person, as the equilibrium is still very fragile and any new harmful anthropogenic intervention could result in disastrous effects. 3
THE BLACK SEA ECOSYSTEM PECULIARITIES (cont.) f) The dimension, geographical, geological and ecological peculiarities render the Black Sea the character of marine large ecosystem (MLE) g) The majority of fish species having economical value are shared in the EEZ of several states (sprat, whiting, dogfish, turbot etc.) or are migratory (anchovy, horse mackerel, bluefish, bonito etc.), having spawning, feeding and wintering areas located in different areas of the Black Sea h) The Black Sea ecosystem is highly productive and offers many goods and services for recreation, food, pharmaceuticals, mining and navigation. This impact of uses on the ecosystem, and especially the impact of fisheries, is the key-task for the sustainable development of the marine environment. On a larger time scale, the ecosystem is affected by global climate changes, which will probably influence many aspects of fish distribution, dynamics and abundance of fisheries resources i) At the same time, the recent history of the Black Sea showed, probably more than elsewhere, a tight inter-dependence between fish stocks, eutrophication, pollution, climate changes, habitat changes and opportunistic settlers 4
MAIN CAUSES WHICH DETERMINE THE DECLINE OF THE BLACK SEA MARINE LIVING RESOURCES AND BIODIVERSITY) 1. The physical changes and the deterioration of the ecological conditions in the habitats are important for marine living resources 1.1. Loss of spawning habitats of anadromous species in rivers (energy production, agriculture) 1.2. Deterioration of sediment quality and physical losses of lagoon/liman habitats (agriculture, irrigations) 1.3. Deterioration of sediment quality in shelf habitat (pollution, hydrotechnical works) 2. Increase of the sensitivity of the Black Sea ecosystem and environmental risks 2.1. Mass mortality of demersal species due to hypoxia (eutrophication) 2.2. Changes in fish behavior (mainly by the fish shoals remaining away from shallow waters) (climate changes, hydrotechnical works) 2.3. Increase of natural sensitivity of the marine ecosystem due to the periodical replacement of some biotic components and also due to the settlement and outbreaks of alien species (climate changes, exotic species, industry) 2.4. Sudden changes of water parameters in the marine area under the direct influence of large rivers (and subsequent replacement of biota with freshwater species) (climate changes, hydrotechnical works)
MAIN CAUSES WHICH DETERMINE THE DECLINE OF THE BLACK SEA MARINE LIVING RESOURCES AND BIODIVERSITY (cont.) 3. Inadequate fisheries management (Fisheries) 3.1. Exploitation of fish stocks outside safe biologic limits - Increase of fishing effort and catches beyond the natural recovery capacity, in spite of obvious decline of fish stocks - The process of restructuring the fishing fleet capacities is very slow and government aids are very limited - Open access to resources 3.2. Fisheries management is applied individually by each coastal country, even in the case of shared or migratory stocks 3.3. Lack of regionally coordinated assessment of shared and migratory species 3.4. Lack of establishment of the transboundary free fishing zone 4. Use of destructive fishing practices (Fisheries) 4.1. Direct deterioration of seabed biocoenoses due to dragging and bottom trawling 4.2. Catch of non-target species, some of them forbidden and/or having undersize length, caused by the use of non-selective fishing gear (pound nets, pelagic trawls) 4.3. Increase in the rate of marine mammals stranding, caused by the extensive use of gillnets, which have high capacity of incidentally catching dolphins 4.4. Increase of the effects of the above mentioned problems through illegal fishing practices
STURGEONS = BLACK SEA TREASURE
STURGEON FISHING DYNAMICS IN THE ROMANIAN SECTOR OF THE BLACK SEA, BETWEEN 1970-2002 (FAO, 2002) tons 200 180 160 140 120 100 tons 80 60 40 20 0 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1983 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002
STURGEON FISHING DYNAMICS IN THE BLACK SEA, BETWEEN 1991-2000 (FAO, 2002) 1400 1200 1000 800 600 1991 400 1993 1995 200 1997 0 1999 Total Georgia Romania Rusia Ucraina
tone TOTAL DEMERSAL CATCHES ON THE ROMANIAN LITTORAL (1950-2008) tone tone 3500 3000 Bacaliar 1400 Bacaliar 2500 Rechin 1200 Guvizi 2000 1500 1000 500 0 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 Guvizi Barbun Calcan Sturioni 1000 800 600 400 200 0 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Sturioni Calcan Barbun Rechin 350 300 Bacaliar 250 Guvizi 200 Calcan 150 Barbun 100 Sturioni 50 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Rechin
Four of the six native sturgeons are or were migratory species, living on the Black Sea shelf and entering the estuary or the Danube River itself for spawning (A. guldenstaedtii, A.stellatus, A. sturio, H.huso).
DISTRIBUTION STATUS (REINARTZ, 2002) Species Acipenser gueldenstaedti Danube or Russian Sturgeon (migratory form) A.stellatus Stellate or Starred Sturgeon A. sturio Common, Atlantic or Baltic Sturgeon Huso huso Beluga or Great Sturgeon Distribution Status Time period historic current historic current historic current historic current Upper Danube River rare extinct rare extinct - - rare extinct Middle Danube River extinct extinct - - extinct Lower Danube River rare rare rare extinct rare North Western Black Sea rare rare rare extinct rare
DISTRIBUTION Starred Sturgeon Acipenser stellatus Pallas, 1771 (Habitats Directive) Common Sturgeon Acipenser sturio Linnaeus, 1758 Beluga Huso huso Berg, 1904 Danube or Russian sturgeon Acipenser güldenstadti, Berg, 1911
STURGEONS IN NATURA 2000 SITES In 2011 and 2012, NIMRD realized the inventory of species (including sturgeons) in the Romanian Natura 2000 marine sites: The presence of 3 species (H.huso, A. gueldenstaedti and A, stellatus) is confirmed in all sites. The presence of A. sturio is uncertain (until now, the inventory is under development in ROSCI0066 Danube Delta marine zone)
CHALLENGES Beginning with 2013, NIMRD (partnership with Integra, NIRDDD, Ovidius University) will realize the monitoring of the Natura 2000 marine species and habitats (Beneficiary - Institute of Biology Bucharest) including the sturgeons and their marine habitats (for spawning and wintering).
For the sturgeon fishery management, we need to take into account the following considerations: Local species have small importance; Majority of fish species having commercial value are shared within EEZ of many states (sturgeons, sprat, whiting, anchovy, horse mackerel, dogfish, turbot etc.); Migratory species (anchovy, horse mackerel, bluefish, bonito) have spawning, feeding and wintering habitats located in EEZ of different states; Up to 1989, was a regional management framework realised by the former URSS, Bulgaria and Romania. Turkey don t participate to this regional management organization. Presently in the Black Sea area there is not a regional fishery management organization. The fisheries regulatory framework is promoted by each coastal country, not being harmonized at regional level, even in the case of shared or migratory species. In these conditions, each country realises own researches related to the state of the fish resources. Inadequate management in exploitation of migratory or shared stocks in one of country will affect the catches of the rest of coastal countries located on migratory routes.
For the sturgeon fishery management, we need to take into account the following (cont.): The fish stock assessment and monitoring activities at national level are fragmented and irregular. Data and methodologies used at national level for assessment scope are not compatible and comparable for regional purposes; Absence of a common regional view on criteria and methodologies regarding the evaluation of marine habitats having a regional importance for conservation of living resources and for the establishment of protected areas or of fishing free zone in transboundary context; The lack of an adequate management in the Black Sea fisheries is also evidenced by the fact that in spite of evident decline of stocks, the fishing effort continued to increase. This fact is very obvious in cases of high value large fish species as well: sturgeons, turbot, spiny dogfish. Decline of the predatory fish was determined through overfishing of the migratory fish at some point in their migration route and environmental degradation affecting the behavioural responses of migratory fish; In some Black Sea countries, social-economic changes and political transition amplified the above direct causes of decline.
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