In the Danube basin

New nursery for young sturgeons in the Haus des Meeres

The young sturgeons at the Haus des Meeres(Bild: Dominik Moser)

A new sturgeon aquarium has been opened in the Haus des Meeres, which is intended to make a significant contribution to the protection and reintroduction of endangered sturgeon species in the Danube region. 

The aquarium, which has a capacity of 13,000 liters, is located on the 6th floor of the building and has been converted into a Danube basin. Young sturgeons are reared here, which are intended to strengthen the sturgeon population in the Danube in the future. The LIFE-Boat 4 Sturgeon project plans to release over 15 million juvenile fish into the Danube by 2030.

In the new Danube basin, the juveniles will be acclimatized to their new habitat(Bild: Dominik Moser)

Habitats are becoming scarce
The LIFE-Boat 4 Sturgeon project has set itself the task of saving the last four sturgeon species in the Danube from extinction. The threats to these fish are manifold: loss of habitat, blocked migration routes and illegal fishing are putting them under massive pressure.

The researchers at Boku and Haus des Meeres are looking forward to(Bild: Dominik Moser)

Informing visitors about the problem
Thomas Friedrich, project manager at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), expressed his enthusiasm for the new cooperation: "This collaboration makes it possible to raise awareness of the challenges and needs for the protection of endangered sturgeon species and to communicate them to the public. With over 900,000 visitors per year, Haus des Meeres is the ideal partner for raising awareness on a broad scale."