Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 13
Existing protection or other status
Green sturgeon were given the status of Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in 1987 due to a lack of information regarding population sizes and trends of the species (Houston 1988). In British Columbia, green sturgeon has a status of red indicating it is a candidate for extirpation, endangerment, or threatened status (BCCDC, 2003). It is illegal to retain green sturgeon while sport fishing in both marine and freshwater in Canada (Department of Fisheries and Oceans [DFO] fishing regulations 2003).
In the United States it has federal species of concern status; however, this offers no regulatory or conservation protection (EPIC 2001). In Oregon, Washington, and Alaska it has no special protection. In California, it is classified as a species of special concern but has no protection under the California Endangered Species Act (EPIC 2001). However, there are fishing regulations such as size, bag and slot limits in these states.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessed the green sturgeon in 1996 using the 1994 Categories & Criteria (version 2.3) and classified it as “VU A1ac” (vulnerable due to suspected reduction over 20% in the last 10 years or three generations from direct observation and a decline in area of occupancy) (IUCN 2002). The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) listed green sturgeon under Appendix II in June 1997 and it remains listed (CITES 2003).
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