At a glance
- IUCN category
- CR · Critically Endangered
- Animal group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Matches source — IUCN's 2022 global assessment of Acipenser nudiventris says Critically EndangeredChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The ship sturgeon is a migratory sturgeon of the Caspian and Black Sea basins. It is assessed as Critically Endangered.
Like other sturgeons it is long-lived, slow to mature, and prized for caviar.
Range & habitat
The Caspian, Black, and Aral Sea basins and their rivers.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Overfishing for caviar
- Dams blocking migration
- Pollution and habitat change
Why it matters
Another caviar-bearing sturgeon devastated by fishing and dams, the ship sturgeon is part of the wider collapse of Eurasian sturgeons.
Sources
Sources for Ship Sturgeon
- IUCN Red List — look up Ship Sturgeon (authoritative status)
- FishBase
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are so many sturgeons Critically Endangered?
Sturgeons are long-lived, slow to mature, prized for caviar, and dependent on long river migrations to spawn — a combination that makes them extremely vulnerable to fishing and dams.
Why is the ship sturgeon Critically Endangered?
Published assessments cite overfishing for caviar, dams blocking migration, and pollution and habitat change. See the IUCN Red List.