Mazandaran – In a bid to protect and restore the Caspian Sea's endangered sturgeon populations, thousands of juvenile sturgeon have been released into the rivers of Mazandaran northern province.

 

The fingerlings, bred at the Shahid Rajaee Center in Sari, were released into major waterways with the participation of fisheries officials and the backing of the local fishing community, according to a report carried by the official website of the Ministry of Agriculture.

 

As part of Iran's national fisheries restoration program, approximately 700,000 sturgeon larvae have also been transferred from the Shahid Rajaee Center to stock rehabilitation facilities in the neighboring provinces of Gilan and Golestan. The initiative aims to accelerate natural stock recovery across the southern Caspian basin.

 

Officials say these efforts are critical to enhancing ecological sustainability and protecting the region's valuable sturgeon species from further decline.