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To protect six critically endangered endemic sturgeon species from extinction by designating MPAs in key biodiversity areas, restoring breeding habitats and improving fisheries management. Successful work in the Caspian requires interventions in all five member states. Presently we can work in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Not being able to work in Iran and Russia makes progress challenging.   

Blue Marine has worked with an NGO called IDEA to build a partnership between government, charities and local communities. The first ever marine protected area in the Caspian Sea, the Gizilagaj MPA, was subsequently designated near the mouth of the Kura River, providing a sanctuary for sub-adult sturgeon. It was later made a Mission Blue Hope Spot, a designation given to places that are scientifically identified as critical to the ocean’s health.  

Looking forward, we have compiled a database of all relevant stakeholders in the region and will urge Azerbaijan to designate 30 per cent, restore river ecosystems, improve fisheries management and crack down on poaching. Visits to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan are also planned.

The Caspian Sea in central Asia is the world’s largest inland body of water. Because it sits above abundant reserves of natural gas and oil, the Caspian’s fragile marine environment – with its endemic species of sturgeon, salmon, seal, kutum, kilka anchovy and lamprey – is particularly vulnerable.  

As the hydrocarbons are pumped to the surface and burned, fresh water becomes scarcer, leading to the construction of river dams to control water flow. These prevent many of the rare, migratory species from reaching their upper-river spawning grounds, while systematic poaching reduces stocks further, climate change alters river flow and pollution has disrupted the food chain.