press release

Federal government supports the construction of a national centre for the reintroduction of sturgeon with 6.9 million euros

The budget committee of the Bundestag has approved 6.9 million euros for the European sturgeon: On the Elbe island in Geesthacht, a centre for scientific monitoring of the reintroduction of this endangered fish species is to be set up under the direction of the IGB. Freshwater fish such as sturgeon are among the most threatened species in the world. Due to their long life cycle, size and migration, sturgeon are particularly affected. Of the 27 known species, 23 are classified as endangered and 17 as highly endangered. For example, the European sturgeon, which used to be native to us, has been considered extinct for 40 years. Over the past 20 years, the IGB has developed many principles for its reintroduction. With the support of the new centre, the German government is now taking an important step towards the practical implementation of these protection efforts.

Jörn Gessner has reason to be happy: The Bundestag's budget committee has approved the financial support of a centre for the reintroduction of the sturgeon on the Elbe. | Photo: Sebastian Hennigs

Reintroducing the sturgeon as a charismatic umbrella species for inland waters in Germany and Europe is an important objective of the national and EU biodiversity strategy. Within this framework, the IGB investigates the possibilities for the reintroduction of the European and Baltic sturgeon and regularly carries out restocking measures in German rivers. The European sturgeon was once native to the North Sea catchment area, including the River Elbe. Directly next to Europe's largest fish migration facility on the Elbe island of Geesthacht, a new facility for parent fish husbandry and rearing is to be built.

The federal funds of 6.9 million euros are planned for the construction of a laboratory and a lightweight hall to house the fish farm. In addition, an information centre is planned in order to communicate river ecology topics to the public using the example of the reintroduction of the sturgeon in the River Elbe as an example and to enable young and old to experience them.  

"This is an enormous programme for the reintroduction of the sturgeon. This is a national task that urgently needed financial support from the federal government. Because time is pressing. The capacities at the IGB site in Berlin are no longer sufficient to massively expand the rearing of sturgeons," says Norbert Brackmann, member of the German Bundestag for the CDU, who successfully promoted the provision of funds in the circle of budget politicians.

Dr. Jörn Gessner, project manager of the reintroduction programme at the IGB, is very pleased about this important step: "The fish ladder in Geesthacht was already a good example of how the various players are successfully campaigning for the protection of the European sturgeon. The newly planned centre creates the prerequisites for making the offspring available for the Elbe stocking. The dream of an River Elbe in which the up to five-metre-long river giants are again at home has thus come a little closer."

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