The conservation of sturgeons is imperative because many of the 27 species of sturgeon, such as the Beluga, Russian, and stellate sturgeon, are in danger of extinction. Their extinction is driven by a combination of habitat destruction, poor or nonexistent management, and the predominant reason --- overfishing for its valuable caviar eggs. Due to overfishing, the number of adult sturgeons in the Caspian Sea declined by almost 70%, from 142 million in 1978 to 43.5 million in 1994. Furthermore, the number of breeding sturgeons available has been reduced to dangerously low levels, that is, it would take a minimum of 25 to 30 years to reach a sustainable level. If immediate action to conserve sturgeons is not taken, it will soon be too late to save them. The conservation of sturgeons is important to us because of its economic, cultural, and intrinsic value to humanity.
The extinction of sturgeons will be an economic disaster for the regions that rely mainly on the harvesting of caviar for income. This dependence is especially true for Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan, which border the Caspian Sea and enjoy its bounty of sturgeons. Caviar is sturgeon roe, or fish eggs. And, people harvest caviar by catching sturgeons and gathering roe from the fish. Once the sturgeons are depleted, the caviar industry would subsequently die and many of the fishermen in these five countries would quickly lose their livelihood. Thus, the conservation of sturgeons is critical for those people who rely on the caviar trade.
Sturgeons are also important to some countries that border the Caspian Sea for their historical, traditional, and cultural significance. In Russia, caviar holds historical significance since the time of Peter the Great in the 1600s. It has evolved to become a symbol of their culture and tradition. It is an icon of a “once pristine and bountiful land”. It has become a part of their national heritage and should be conserved for everyone to enjoy, especially future generations.
The extinction of sturgeons is also unconscionable. All things
on this planet have their own intrinsic value, and we, as humans, have
a responsibility to protect them. As Homo Sapiens, which means “thinking
man”, and as the top of the food chain, we should know better than to drive
them to extinction. Once the fish is extinct, we can never revive
the species again. And finally, we are the hunters; we are the ones
causing their extinction. Overfishing sturgeons to extinction for
monetary or personal rewards is not only a violation of the sturgeon’s
intrinsic rights but it is also unscrupulous.