Background The ‘Action Plan for the conservation of sturgeons (Acipenseridae) in the Danube River Basin’ was adopted by the Council of Europe in 2005. It ensures that legislation on sturgeon fisheries and trade is effectively implemented at national, regional and international levels throughout the Danube River Basin (including the Black Sea) and that gaps and/or obstacles to implementation are identified and addressed (Objective 3). The Action Plan aims to reduce, and ultimately stop, illegal harvesting of sturgeons by strengthening the implementation and enforcement of fishery legislation and inspection controls at national level (Objective 4); intends to improve the socio-economic conditions for local-community stakeholders involved in sturgeon fishing (Objective 5); and aims to reduce significantly, and eventually to eliminate, illegal international, national and regional trade in sturgeon products (Objective 6). Objectives The objective of the SAVING DANUBE STURGEONS project was to stop the overexploitation of “critically endangered” Danube sturgeons in Bulgaria and Romania, and to ensure the long-term survival of these species having high natural and economic value. The project aimed to achieve this through implementing Objectives 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the ‘Action Plan for the conservation of sturgeons (Acipenseridae) in the Danube River Basin’. The specific aims of the project were to stop illegal fishing activities in Bulgaria and Romania and to gain commitments from targeted companies regarding illegally-sourced sturgeons/caviar; to implement effective enforcement of national and EU policy and regulations, leading to first-time seizures of illegal caviar in Bulgaria and Romania; to significantly increase understanding among target audiences of the effects of overexploitation of sturgeons; to effectively disseminate the outcomes of the project to regional and international stakeholders; and to develop amongst stakeholders a shared strategy for the sustainability of the project. Results The SAVING DANUBE STURGEONS project achieved positive policy and legislative impacts for the conservation of overexploited sturgeon species in the Danube River Basin. Important results included obtaining commitments from companies to stop sourcing illegal caviar and an extension on sturgeon hunting bans. The project also achieved a significant increase in the acceptance of protection measures for sturgeons among fishermen and other stakeholder groups. Sturgeons are poached for their meat, but a more important threat is the illegal trade in caviar. The conservation status of sturgeons in the Danube is critical and hunting would further threaten their survival. Only trade in wild caviar is forbidden by law (CITES). In 2000, a standardised labelling system for all caviar exports was introduced by members of the CITES convention, to enable identification of the source and origin of caviar. However, according to the project beneficiary, in practice it is not always easy to distinguish between wild caviar and cultivated caviar. As a result of the project, eight companies (four each in Romania and Bulgaria) signed an official commitment (a code of conduct) against any illegal sourcing of wild sturgeons or wild caviar. The most important legal instruments for the protection of wild sturgeons are CITES quotas and national fishing bans. In Romania a decennial moratorium exists and in Bulgaria an annual sturgeon fishing ban was introduced in 2011. The project helped authorities enforce hunting bans and succeeding in extending the hunting bans for a longer period of time. It also supported relevant authorities in Romania and Bulgaria by strengthening, in terms of finance and technical equipment, law enforcement agencies targeting poaching and illegal trade in caviar. The project conducted a baseline evaluation (surveys and telephone interviews) of awareness and knowledge among target groups - fishermen, enforcement authorities, decision-makers and relevant companies - and the general public. This helped the project team to focus their awareness-raising campaign, which included targeted factsheets, booklets, posters and a film on DVD. Central to these activities was the establishment of Sturgeon Focal Points in fishing villages and the use of Sturgeon Advocates, who visited 34 villages along the Danube where fishing for sturgeons used to take place and informed approximately 500 fishermen about the need to protect sturgeons. Workshops and training sessions were organised for enforcement officers, involving 2 500 officials from 10 different agencies, with the result that illegal caviar seizures were increased. The project’s awareness-raising activities aimed at decision-makers helped extend annual sturgeon hunting bans. Awareness-raising among companies in Romania and Bulgaria led to signed codes of conduct, while 50 companies in other EU countries were provided with information to increase their awareness. Once the populations of sturgeons in Romania and Bulgaria have recovered, a more sustainable use of sturgeons as an economically-valuable resource should be possible. The economical use of sturgeons has a long tradition in Romania and Bulgaria. 'Black gold' (caviar) is sold to restaurants all over the world, while the meat is also used. The project helped change the attitude of fishermen towards a 'wiser-use' of sturgeons. This may help in the long-term recovery of Danube sturgeon populations, to the long-term economic benefit of fishing communities. The project’s findings concerning sturgeon poaching and the illegal caviar trade were added to official WWF comments regarding the public EC Consultation on the EU approach against Wildlife Trafficking in 2014.