The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), enacted as a law in 1973, provides a means to conserve threatened and endangered species as well as these species’ habitat. This U.S. law extends beyond the borders of the U.S. and will consider species anywhere on earth. As of 2024, the ESA has 2,300 U.S. and foreign animals and plants listed as either threatened or endangered. Although the purpose of the ESA is to conserve species found in the wild, there is no legal distinctions of these targeted populations of wild species from captive-bred or aquacultured populations. This means when a sturgeon species is listed under the ESA, captive-bred sturgeon populations must comply with the same restrictions and prohibitions as the wild populations. These prohibitions may include closure of the U.S. borders to imports, or in the case of captive-bred sturgeon operations within the U.S. or its territories, forced depopulation. An explanation of the ESA listing process is presented, as is an update on the current status of 10 sturgeon species going through this listing process. The status of potential legislative solutions to this problem are also discussed.
 

Endangered Species Act, Sturgeon