Market Survey in Illegal Carviar Trade in Bulgaria and Romania

This report summarizes a market survey on illegal coaviar trade in Bulgaria and Romania. The survey was performed between April 2011 and February 2012 in order to (a) delineate the dimension of the problem, (b) to identiy the chain of custody from fishermen to restaurant sellers and exporters of sturgeon products, and (c) to assess state of application and reliability of the universal caviar labeling system (implemen-tation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora). Overall the findings of the survey suggest that illegal fishing of sturgeons and illegaltrade of caviar continues in both conutries in spite of the moratoria. A number of recommendations to better combat illegal trade have been formulated to improve the situation in order to support more vigorously the implementation of the "Action Plan fort he Conservation of Sturgeons (Acipenseridae) in the Danube River basin" which was adopted by the Bern Convention (Council of Europe presentation) in 2005.