Todays action is in response to a petition submitted to the Service by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Wildlife Conservation Society and Sea Web. In reviewing the petition, the Service found there was sufficient information to make a finding that the action may be warranted.
Loss of habitat in traditional spawning areas, pollution and over-harvest are the major threats to survival of the species in the wild. However, the illegal trade poses the most serious threat to beluga sturgeon conservation. If listed as endangered under the ESA, commercial imports, exports, re-exports and interstate commerce of beluga sturgeon would be prohibited.
Beluga sturgeon is currently listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a treaty under which the more than 150 member nations seek to monitor and regulate global trade through permits in wild animals and plants that may be at risk due to commercial exploitation. Trade in all Appendix II species must be accompanied by a valid export permit from the country of origin prior to export to ensure the product was legally obtained and its harvest was not detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild.
Prized for their roe and flesh since ancient times, beluga sturgeon, or Huso huso, are vulnerable to depletion because they are remarkably long-lived and slow to mature. The beluga sturgeon is native to the Caspian and Black Seas, and spawns in the rivers that constitute the watersheds of these seas. It has been eliminated from the Adriatic Sea, and is maintained in the Sea of Azov through artificial propagation. Over ninety percent of the beluga sturgeon in the Caspian Sea have been found to be hatchery-produced.
Comments, information, and questions can be submitted by mail to the Chief, Division of Scientific Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 750, Arlington, Virginia 22203, by fax, 703-358-2276, or by e-mail, Scientificauthority@fws.gov">. Comments and supporting information will be available for public inspection, by appointment, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the above address. For a complete copy of the proposal, visit our website at http://international.fws.gov
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes - Big Rivers Region, visit our home page at http://midwest.fws.gov">
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