Despite still being considered a ‘royal fish’, the existence of sturgeon populations in Great Britain had largely been forgotten. Few realise that these giant fish were once common in our rivers and coastal waters. There are two species of sturgeon native to the United Kingdom, the European sturgeon Acipenser sturio and the Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus, although they were long thought to be the same species. The IUCN Red List classifies A. sturio as ‘Critically Endangered’ and A. oxyrinchus as ‘Vulnerable’. Various factors have likely driven the decline of the two species in the UK, including fishing pressure, migration barriers, and habitat degradation. Their extirpation from UK river systems means that they are now listed as ‘vagrant’ or ‘visitors’ when being considered for assessment under the IUCN Red List.

With extensive recovery efforts underway in Continental Europe, and given their migratory life cycle, the UK must become ‘sturgeon ready’. The UK Sturgeon Alliance, a coalition of eNGOs working with government, is contributing to this pan-European effort. In 2023, we published the first UK Sturgeon Conservation Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2033 which has the goal to achieve Favourable Conservation Status. For England, this means populations thriving sustainably into the future, with both juvenile and adult sturgeon present in suitable habitats across coastal waters and estuaries, and with viable populations in all major rivers. Beyond population recovery, the aim is to renew the cultural, historical, and ecological relationship between people and sturgeon.

Sturgeon,Conservation Strategy,Reintroduction,Favourable Conservation Status,Acipenser sturio,Acipenser oxyrinchus