News

"We are all sturgeon parents today," said Brandenburg's Environment Minister Axel Vogel on 22 October, when 500 young Baltic sturgeon were released into the Oder River during the joint stocking with the IGB.

After 25 years, the programme to reintroduce the European sturgeon into the Elbe and the Gironde is now bearing fruit – adult specimens have returned to the rivers for the first time this year. In an interview, IGB scientist Jörn Geßner tells of the obstacles encountered along the way, as well as more fortunate occurrences. And he explains why the task of reintroducing sturgeon into the North and Baltic Seas will continue to be difficult despite past successes.

The Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) gave feedback on three interlinked European biodiversity initiatives and supports binding EU restoration targets.

Only recently, colleagues managed to sequence the genome of the sturgeon. Our doctoral student Christin Höhne has now developed an extensive overview of the immune system of sturgeon.

A scientific study shows: Europe has some of the most fragmented rivers in the world.  Small transverse structures with an impoundment height of less than two metres account for the lion's share. 

The new IGB Policy Brief shows that an expansion of the River Oder would threaten many species and habitats. The plans violate current EU law and endanger not only the environment but also agriculture on both sides of the River Oder.

Researchers developed the European Fish Hazard Index (EFHI) – an instrument for screening the ecological risks of hydropower plants. It takes into account plant-specific effects, but also the sensitivity of the affected fish communities.

Scientists led by IGB have discovered a molecular marker for sex determination in sturgeon. This is a significant breakthrough for evolutionary biology, for species conservation and for caviar-producing aquaculture.