In Cooperation with German Experts

The only way to restore the destroyed sturgeon population is to repopulate it, which must be done over an extended period of time in large quantities. In addition to large quantities, it is important to achieve a high quality and adaptability of population material to ensure the survival of juvenile fish.

To achieve positive results, the best scientific and practical knowledge and experience is applied in the repopulation and breeding of juvenile fish. Important partners of the project include experienced experts Jörn Gessner from the Leibniz Institute in Germany and Gerd Arndt and Christin Hoehne from the State Research Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (LFA MV).

The State Research Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern maintains the Baltic sturgeon broodstock crucial for the Baltic sturgeon programme and LIFE project and supplies the project with basic population material.

To ensure the best possible start for the project, the first meeting between important experts took place from 7-8 November. Experts from Germany, Wildlife Estonia and Põlula observed the practices and opportunities of the Põlula Fish Rearing Centre and discussed future plans. Sturgeons were released into River Narva on 9 November in cooperation with the Helcom work group. The pre-release acclimatisation of juvenile fish was discussed at River Narva.

LFA MV is carrying out the project “Restoring the Baltic Sturgeon Population in River Oder and the coastal seas of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern”. Experts presented the activities and results of the project and discussed opportunities for cooperation.