Sturgeon recovery plan in the Rhône river (France): preliminary results on species determination and habitat suitability
Abstract
Sturgeons were living in the Rhône river (France)until their complete extirpation in the mid 1970s. They disappeared without a certainly about species identity and about sympatry between Acipenser sturio and Acipenser naccarii. Preliminary studies were launched in 2005 by the Migrateurs Rhône Méditerranée (MRM) association to overcome this lack of knowledge and to evaluate the lower Rhône river environment suitability for sturgeon. All the preliminary results are very encouraging regarding the possible restoration of sturgeon in the Rhône river.