IFO releases 800,000 juvenile sturgeon into natural habitats under stock restoration program
Iran's Fisheries Organization has released 800,000 juvenile sturgeon into natural habitats since the start of the current Iranian year starting on March 21 as part of its national stock restoration program, a senior official at the organization said.
Mahmoud Qobadi, director general of the organization's Office for the Restoration and Protection of Aquatic Genetic Resources, said, "The release program will continue through the end of the breeding season."
According to IRNA, stock restoration programs along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea are carried out with the participation of specialized centers in the three northern provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan, where millions of juvenile sturgeon produced through artificial breeding are released into natural habitats each year.
Qobadi said restoring sturgeon stocks has become one of the country's most important national strategies for protecting biodiversity, preserving genetic resources and reviving the natural populations of these valuable species in the Caspian Sea.
Stressing that stock restoration extends far beyond the production and release of juvenile fish, he said broodstock management, the preservation of genetic diversity, the prevention of genetic deterioration in fish populations, the monitoring of release outcomes, and the protection of natural habitats were all integral components of effective stock restoration programs.
He said that last year a total of 1,943,692 juvenile sturgeon were released into rivers and natural habitats connected to the Caspian Sea.
Of that total, 961,792 juvenile fish were released in Gilan Province, 433,400 in Mazandaran Province and 548,500 in Golestan Province, he said.
Qobadi explained that the country's stock restoration programs aims to strengthen natural populations, increase the likelihood that broodstock will return to their spawning rivers, and preserve the genetic resources of these valuable species.
Discussing the global significance of sturgeon, he said, "Sturgeon, as one of the most valuable aquatic genetic resources in Iran and the world, have experienced a significant decline in their natural populations in recent decades due to factors such as habitat destruction, environmental pollution, illegal fishing and climate change. "
“Therefore, their protection and stock restoration are among the priorities of the Iran Fisheries Organization," he added.
Following the agreement among the Caspian littoral states to halt commercial sturgeon fishing in order to restore natural stocks, stock restoration and artificial breeding programs have become the most important tools for protecting these valuable species. Within this framework, Iran has continuously pursued genetic conservation, breeding and the release of juvenile sturgeon, he added.
Qobadi said the expansion of sturgeon farming in recent years has helped meet part of market demand and reduce pressure on wild populations. He added that linking stock restoration with the development of sustainable aquaculture is one of the most effective long-term approaches to conserving these valuable species.
The country's caviar exports have risen steadily, reaching nearly $8 million annually and expanding to 42 countries worldwide today, according to the secretary-general of Iran's Union of Aquatic Production and Trade.
Ali-Akbar Khodaei, in an interview with Iran Daily last month, said that Iran's caviar export revenues increased from $3.188 million in 2023 to around $6 million in 2024. He added that official figures for 2025 had not yet been released, but estimates indicated exports reached between $7.8 million and $8 million by March 2026.
Khodaei also said export volumes increased, with shipments rising to 7,130 kilograms during the 10-month period from March 20, 2025, to Jan. 19, 2026, compared with 6,200 kilograms in the corresponding period a year earlier, representing a 14% increase.