1 00:00:00,559 --> 00:00:03,726 (lively violin music) 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:06,193 --> 00:00:07,810 It's caviar, the food of the rich. 4 00:00:07,810 --> 00:00:09,744 It is so sophisticated. 5 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 6 00:00:09,744 --> 00:00:11,380 (lively violin music) 7 00:00:11,380 --> 00:00:13,863 It's really like no other food, 8 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,393 that taste of the ocean, of the sea. 9 00:00:18,387 --> 00:00:21,887 (Rufat speaks in Russian) 10 00:00:24,150 --> 00:00:26,840 It's not just food that you put in your mouth, 11 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:28,634 it's an experience. 12 00:00:28,634 --> 00:00:31,340 (lively violin music) 13 00:00:31,340 --> 00:00:33,400 Caviar, known for being 14 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:35,810 the most expensive food on earth. 15 00:00:35,810 --> 00:00:39,160 People are willing to pay amazing sums for it. 16 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:41,050 Throughout history, caviar 17 00:00:41,050 --> 00:00:43,713 has been the most coveted of delicacies. 18 00:00:45,020 --> 00:00:48,450 It has this myth around it that adds to its value. 19 00:00:48,450 --> 00:00:51,523 People associate caviar with sophistication and power. 20 00:00:52,370 --> 00:00:53,563 Caviar has it all. 21 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:59,250 On the one hand, royal families consume caviar 22 00:00:59,250 --> 00:01:02,490 and on the other hand criminal gangsters, 23 00:01:02,490 --> 00:01:05,303 so the upper world meets the underworld. 24 00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:09,970 In the past, it was actually the food of the poor. 25 00:01:09,970 --> 00:01:13,270 When I lived in Russia, we had caviar for breakfast, 26 00:01:13,270 --> 00:01:15,010 because it was so plentiful. 27 00:01:15,010 --> 00:01:19,930 Today it can sell for up to $35,000 a kilo. 28 00:01:19,930 --> 00:01:21,210 Everyone's heard of caviar. 29 00:01:21,210 --> 00:01:23,390 People associate caviar with luxury. 30 00:01:23,390 --> 00:01:25,970 It's the most expensive food on the planet, 31 00:01:25,970 --> 00:01:28,450 but I suspect that very few people understand 32 00:01:28,450 --> 00:01:30,870 where caviar actually comes from. 33 00:01:30,870 --> 00:01:33,710 This extraordinary food is in fact 34 00:01:33,710 --> 00:01:35,453 just the eggs of a fish. 35 00:01:36,320 --> 00:01:38,493 But this is no ordinary fish. 36 00:01:39,510 --> 00:01:42,180 This is a fish whose fate has been shaped 37 00:01:42,180 --> 00:01:45,245 by politics, religion and war. 38 00:01:45,245 --> 00:01:48,180 (lively violin music) (explosions blasting) 39 00:01:48,180 --> 00:01:50,170 Once plentiful, they are now 40 00:01:50,170 --> 00:01:53,163 the most endangered group of species on earth. 41 00:01:54,248 --> 00:01:57,520 It's 250 million years old. 42 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,830 It's like we are losing a dinosaur from our planet. 43 00:02:00,830 --> 00:02:03,410 It could withstand ice ages, and it could withstand 44 00:02:03,410 --> 00:02:05,300 all the changes that have happened to the world 45 00:02:05,300 --> 00:02:07,210 in the last 190 million years, 46 00:02:07,210 --> 00:02:08,900 but the one thing they couldn't withstand 47 00:02:08,900 --> 00:02:10,283 was industrialization. 48 00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:14,300 History has not been kind to these fish. 49 00:02:14,300 --> 00:02:17,830 It is kind of amazing that they have survived this long. 50 00:02:17,830 --> 00:02:19,570 Now the battle is on 51 00:02:19,570 --> 00:02:23,450 to save this extraordinary, prehistoric creature. 52 00:02:23,450 --> 00:02:25,180 This really is a race against time. 53 00:02:25,180 --> 00:02:27,380 If we do nothing, these species 54 00:02:27,380 --> 00:02:29,307 will undoubtedly become extinct. 55 00:02:29,307 --> 00:02:30,560 (water splashing) 56 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,250 This is the incredible story of the sturgeon 57 00:02:34,250 --> 00:02:38,353 and one man's obsession to save it from oblivion. 58 00:02:38,353 --> 00:02:41,520 (lively violin music) 59 00:02:48,058 --> 00:02:50,558 (eerie music) 60 00:02:52,660 --> 00:02:55,220 Nowhere is the sturgeon more entrenched 61 00:02:55,220 --> 00:02:58,453 in its history and culture than the Caspian Sea. 62 00:02:59,782 --> 00:03:02,560 (gentle music) 63 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:06,070 At 1.4 million square miles, the Caspian 64 00:03:06,070 --> 00:03:10,254 is the biggest inland body of water on the planet. 65 00:03:10,254 --> 00:03:13,460 (gentle music) 66 00:03:13,460 --> 00:03:15,870 It's larger than all of North America's 67 00:03:15,870 --> 00:03:17,373 Great Lakes combined. 68 00:03:18,790 --> 00:03:21,780 It's a remnant of the ancient ocean Tethys, 69 00:03:21,780 --> 00:03:23,950 which around 50 million years ago 70 00:03:23,950 --> 00:03:27,531 connected the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. 71 00:03:27,531 --> 00:03:30,281 (dramatic music) 72 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,493 Today it is completely landlocked. 73 00:03:36,390 --> 00:03:39,783 Some 130 rivers feed into the Caspian. 74 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:45,863 But it's unique biodiversity is now under threat. 75 00:03:49,065 --> 00:03:51,396 (water bubbling) 76 00:03:51,396 --> 00:03:52,650 (ominous music) 77 00:03:52,650 --> 00:03:56,300 During the Soviet era pollution from oil refineries, 78 00:03:56,300 --> 00:03:59,210 dam building, overfishing and poaching 79 00:03:59,210 --> 00:04:02,060 has led to a massive 90% decline 80 00:04:02,060 --> 00:04:04,513 of the Caspian sturgeon population. 81 00:04:07,860 --> 00:04:12,310 And now the Caspian is in grave danger of being unable 82 00:04:12,310 --> 00:04:14,661 to sustain marine life. 83 00:04:14,661 --> 00:04:16,870 (dramatic music) 84 00:04:16,870 --> 00:04:18,330 One of the five countries 85 00:04:18,330 --> 00:04:21,723 that surrounds the Caspian Sea is Azerbaijan. 86 00:04:23,805 --> 00:04:25,070 (gentle music) 87 00:04:25,070 --> 00:04:29,290 This former Soviet republic, straddling east and west, 88 00:04:29,290 --> 00:04:32,563 is leading the way to protect this fragile sea. 89 00:04:33,780 --> 00:04:38,290 In its capital Baku, once an ancient Silk Road center, 90 00:04:38,290 --> 00:04:41,600 and now a modern marvel, built on oil wealth, 91 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:45,140 the stage is being set for the Caspian Sea nations 92 00:04:45,140 --> 00:04:47,370 to restore the fragile health 93 00:04:47,370 --> 00:04:50,483 of this rapidly deteriorating marine environment. 94 00:04:52,210 --> 00:04:54,750 Leading the charge to bring back the sturgeon 95 00:04:54,750 --> 00:04:58,173 to the Caspian, is marine biologist Rory Moore. 96 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:02,260 Rory works for the Blue Marine Foundation 97 00:05:02,260 --> 00:05:04,440 whose aim is to protect and restore 98 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:06,783 marine environments across the globe. 99 00:05:07,634 --> 00:05:09,320 (gentle piano music) (whistle blows) 100 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:11,220 I love Azerbaijan because it's different. 101 00:05:11,220 --> 00:05:14,200 It's an adventure, something is always happening, 102 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:15,880 but it's very different working here 103 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:19,023 to any other places where we have projects. 104 00:05:20,500 --> 00:05:22,770 His mission for the last four years 105 00:05:22,770 --> 00:05:25,520 has been to establish a marine-protected area 106 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:27,703 in the south of Azerbaijan. 107 00:05:29,574 --> 00:05:31,610 (waves crashing) 108 00:05:31,610 --> 00:05:35,920 If successful, this 100,000-hectare stretch of water 109 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,853 will be the first of its kind in the Caspian Sea, 110 00:05:40,310 --> 00:05:43,660 and will create a safe haven that will give the sturgeon 111 00:05:43,660 --> 00:05:46,712 one last chance to make a comeback. 112 00:05:46,712 --> 00:05:49,440 (gentle music) (birds chirping) 113 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:51,707 My main fear is the six species of sturgeon 114 00:05:51,707 --> 00:05:53,420 are going to go extinct 115 00:05:53,420 --> 00:05:55,840 unless what we're doing right now works. 116 00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:58,250 We have to restore the natural habitat for these fish, 117 00:05:58,250 --> 00:06:00,540 otherwise they're not gonna be able to spawn. 118 00:06:00,540 --> 00:06:02,890 I just don't think failure is an option really. 119 00:06:06,150 --> 00:06:09,090 Today Rory is addressing representatives 120 00:06:09,090 --> 00:06:11,560 from the Caspian countries at a summit 121 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,563 held by Azerbaijan's Ministry of Ecology. 122 00:06:15,870 --> 00:06:17,540 My job today is to convince people 123 00:06:17,540 --> 00:06:19,410 that marine protected areas work, 124 00:06:19,410 --> 00:06:21,470 that this marine protected area in Azerbaijan 125 00:06:21,470 --> 00:06:23,730 will work for sturgeon species, 126 00:06:23,730 --> 00:06:25,370 because it's an area that's crucial 127 00:06:25,370 --> 00:06:28,010 for the first few years of their life. 128 00:06:28,010 --> 00:06:29,880 Rory believes the only way 129 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,040 to protect the sturgeon from being lost forever 130 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,073 is to sign this marine protected area into law. 131 00:06:38,139 --> 00:06:39,620 And if we don't do it, 132 00:06:39,620 --> 00:06:41,420 then these fish will become extinct. 133 00:06:45,573 --> 00:06:47,920 But there is far more to these fish 134 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,373 than providing luxury food to the rich and powerful. 135 00:06:53,510 --> 00:06:58,340 To look at a sturgeon is to gaze back to an ancient world. 136 00:06:58,340 --> 00:07:02,190 These amazing creatures have withstood the tests of time 137 00:07:02,190 --> 00:07:05,538 and have barely changed for millions of years. 138 00:07:05,538 --> 00:07:08,121 (gentle music) 139 00:07:09,610 --> 00:07:12,143 They are designed to be survivors. 140 00:07:13,650 --> 00:07:16,640 Their skin is rough, thick and covered 141 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:20,560 with their protective armor, bony, shell-shaped plates, 142 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:21,893 otherwise known as scutes. 143 00:07:24,020 --> 00:07:26,610 Of all of fresh water species of fish, 144 00:07:26,610 --> 00:07:28,390 sturgeon live the longest 145 00:07:28,390 --> 00:07:32,580 with an average lifespan of 50 to 60 years. 146 00:07:32,580 --> 00:07:36,579 The beluga sturgeon can live to over 100. 147 00:07:36,579 --> 00:07:39,610 (gentle music) 148 00:07:39,610 --> 00:07:42,720 They're bottom-dwellers and use their four whiskers, 149 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:45,700 or barbels, which dangle in front of their mouth, 150 00:07:45,700 --> 00:07:47,053 to feel for food. 151 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,810 But despite surviving whatever killed off the dinosaurs 152 00:07:53,810 --> 00:07:57,760 in the Ice Age, over the past 150 years 153 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:01,563 this fish has been brought to the brink by humans. 154 00:08:04,237 --> 00:08:07,237 (suspenseful music) 155 00:08:08,390 --> 00:08:11,790 The turning point for the sturgeon's fortunes in the Caspian 156 00:08:11,790 --> 00:08:15,353 began during the final years of the Russian Empire. 157 00:08:17,418 --> 00:08:19,566 (suspenseful music) (explosions blasting) 158 00:08:19,566 --> 00:08:20,990 (crowd screaming) 159 00:08:20,990 --> 00:08:24,480 After two World Wars, The Bolshevik Revolution, 160 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:26,700 the Soviet's quest for modernity 161 00:08:26,700 --> 00:08:30,290 and through the construction of dams and factories, 162 00:08:30,290 --> 00:08:34,203 the sturgeon population was sent into a downward spiral. 163 00:08:35,340 --> 00:08:37,620 Stalin built the Volgograd dam 164 00:08:37,620 --> 00:08:40,090 as part of the process of electrifying Russia, 165 00:08:40,090 --> 00:08:43,560 which was a major step towards industrialization. 166 00:08:43,560 --> 00:08:45,460 And that's spelled disaster for the sturgeon 167 00:08:45,460 --> 00:08:49,560 because it blocked their path back up the river to migrate, 168 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:51,440 so they could no longer go 169 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:53,233 to all their old spawning grounds. 170 00:08:55,050 --> 00:08:56,890 Any attempts to stabilize 171 00:08:56,890 --> 00:08:59,520 the sturgeon population were scuppered 172 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:02,080 by the breakup of the Soviet Union 173 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:05,180 which led to a frenzy of overfishing. 174 00:09:05,180 --> 00:09:07,443 Numbers plummeted to a new low. 175 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:12,883 It absolutely decimated the sturgeon population. 176 00:09:13,850 --> 00:09:17,210 People knew that if they could get that caviar to last, 177 00:09:17,210 --> 00:09:19,013 they could make enormous fortunes. 178 00:09:20,114 --> 00:09:22,864 (dramatic music) 179 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:29,450 For the last four years 180 00:09:29,450 --> 00:09:31,480 Rory has been building his case 181 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:35,410 to secure the first marine protected area in the Caspian. 182 00:09:38,642 --> 00:09:39,850 (motorcycle engine revving) 183 00:09:39,850 --> 00:09:43,800 The proposed site is next to an area of fishing communities 184 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:45,653 in Southern Azerbaijan. 185 00:09:48,060 --> 00:09:50,530 During the 1970s and the '80s, 186 00:09:50,530 --> 00:09:52,920 towards the end of the Soviet era, 187 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:56,800 sturgeon and salmon were fished to the brink of extinction, 188 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:00,493 which led to a Caspian wide ban in 2009. 189 00:10:00,493 --> 00:10:03,076 (gentle music) 190 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,850 With a dwindling number of fish to catch, 191 00:10:06,850 --> 00:10:09,493 many here are struggling to make ends meet. 192 00:10:11,075 --> 00:10:14,075 (suspenseful music) 193 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,360 This stretch of water could be the perfect place 194 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:21,993 for sturgeon to thrive. 195 00:10:24,890 --> 00:10:27,790 This shallow, brackish bay is crucial, 196 00:10:27,790 --> 00:10:30,890 because when sturgeon come down the river, 197 00:10:30,890 --> 00:10:32,057 they come out of the river mouth, 198 00:10:32,057 --> 00:10:36,410 and they look for a shallow area that's not too salty, 199 00:10:36,410 --> 00:10:38,740 because these fish have just come out of fresh water, 200 00:10:38,740 --> 00:10:39,580 that's all they've ever seen. 201 00:10:39,580 --> 00:10:41,683 So they need to adjust to the sea. 202 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:44,780 But there is a problem. 203 00:10:44,780 --> 00:10:47,893 It's perilously close to a traditional fishing ground. 204 00:10:49,986 --> 00:10:54,570 (suspenseful music) (motorcycle engine revving) 205 00:10:54,570 --> 00:10:57,320 These fishermen have come from miles around 206 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:59,730 on their motorbikes to scrape a living 207 00:10:59,730 --> 00:11:02,420 from whatever fish remain in these waters. 208 00:11:02,420 --> 00:11:07,420 (motorcycle engine revving) (dramatic music) 209 00:11:08,770 --> 00:11:11,160 Like many generations before them, 210 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:14,270 they're using gill nets, which are walls of netting 211 00:11:14,270 --> 00:11:17,800 that trap fish by becoming entangled in their gills, 212 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:19,263 as they try to swim through. 213 00:11:20,110 --> 00:11:22,060 Gill nets are a massive problem for sturgeon, 214 00:11:22,060 --> 00:11:24,340 because we know that once or twice a year 215 00:11:24,340 --> 00:11:26,740 they come from the sea, and they come to the river mouth 216 00:11:26,740 --> 00:11:28,960 and they swim up them to spawn. 217 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:30,730 So the fishermen extend these nets 218 00:11:30,730 --> 00:11:32,940 over the river mouth or up the shoreline, 219 00:11:32,940 --> 00:11:35,003 and they'll catch anything that's moving. 220 00:11:36,070 --> 00:11:38,320 It just shows that this area really, 221 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:40,190 really needs protecting, because there's very little 222 00:11:40,190 --> 00:11:41,340 to stop this happening. 223 00:11:42,940 --> 00:11:45,660 With the value of caviar so high, 224 00:11:45,660 --> 00:11:48,080 any sturgeon caught in these gill nets 225 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:49,623 are a temptation to keep. 226 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:53,440 The fishing communities around here, 227 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:54,610 they live off the sea, obviously, 228 00:11:54,610 --> 00:11:56,410 and it's a really gray area 229 00:11:56,410 --> 00:11:58,360 between what's poaching and what's not. 230 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:00,640 You never see sturgeon in their boats, 231 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:02,140 but then they'd never show us. 232 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:07,630 With barely any sturgeon left to catch, 233 00:12:07,630 --> 00:12:10,020 and poor returns on other fish, 234 00:12:10,020 --> 00:12:12,950 many in these coastal fishing communities 235 00:12:12,950 --> 00:12:14,853 have fallen on hard times. 236 00:12:16,919 --> 00:12:20,180 You can't underestimate the impact you have on communities 237 00:12:20,180 --> 00:12:22,030 if you're trying to protect these fish. 238 00:12:22,030 --> 00:12:24,750 These fish are incredibly valuable. 239 00:12:24,750 --> 00:12:26,330 If you're taking away the opportunity 240 00:12:26,330 --> 00:12:28,500 for someone to poach a sturgeon, 241 00:12:28,500 --> 00:12:30,430 you can be taking hundreds of dollars 242 00:12:30,430 --> 00:12:34,050 away from their household, which means, 243 00:12:34,050 --> 00:12:35,940 you know, a yearly income. 244 00:12:35,940 --> 00:12:40,430 So it's dangerous, because these fish are so valuable. 245 00:12:40,430 --> 00:12:42,734 There's a price on their heads. 246 00:12:42,734 --> 00:12:44,920 (suspenseful music) (dog barks) 247 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:47,890 In these closed fishing communities 248 00:12:47,890 --> 00:12:50,663 talk of poaching is a taboo subject. 249 00:12:51,650 --> 00:12:53,790 And many feel bitter that it brought about 250 00:12:53,790 --> 00:12:55,590 the demise of their livelihood. 251 00:12:55,590 --> 00:12:56,830 I'm Rory. Zafar. 252 00:12:56,830 --> 00:12:58,200 When you were fishing years ago 253 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:00,240 before sturgeon fishing was illegal, 254 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:03,258 did you catch very big fish around here? 255 00:13:03,258 --> 00:13:07,508 (Zafar speaks in foreign language) 256 00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:17,990 The sturgeon, the fish, 257 00:13:17,990 --> 00:13:20,030 must've been a very big part of your life. 258 00:13:20,030 --> 00:13:24,083 Now that it's gone, does that feel like a great loss? 259 00:13:24,919 --> 00:13:29,169 (Zafar speaks in foreign language) 260 00:13:45,159 --> 00:13:47,742 (gentle music) 261 00:13:50,990 --> 00:13:54,050 Securing this 100,000-hectare site 262 00:13:54,050 --> 00:13:56,280 as a protected area, would mean 263 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:58,620 that all fishing would be banned, 264 00:13:58,620 --> 00:14:01,310 giving the critically endangered sturgeon 265 00:14:01,310 --> 00:14:03,193 a chance at survival. 266 00:14:05,630 --> 00:14:08,200 Accompanied by local park rangers, 267 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:12,263 Rory is heading out to the vast open waters of the Caspian. 268 00:14:15,210 --> 00:14:19,610 He wants to take a look at what lies beneath the surface. 269 00:14:19,610 --> 00:14:23,259 Something, very few scientists have done. 270 00:14:23,259 --> 00:14:25,842 (gentle music) 271 00:14:30,310 --> 00:14:33,050 So right now we're in the channel 272 00:14:33,050 --> 00:14:35,110 that runs from the Caspian Sea 273 00:14:35,110 --> 00:14:37,520 right up into Vileshchay river mouth. 274 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:41,540 So I'm looking for the ideal habitat for juvenile sturgeon, 275 00:14:41,540 --> 00:14:43,070 and I need to find food for them. 276 00:14:43,070 --> 00:14:45,383 Because if they can't feed, they can't be here. 277 00:14:47,900 --> 00:14:51,820 If I can prove that this area is perfect for sturgeon 278 00:14:51,820 --> 00:14:53,320 once they come down the river, 279 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,060 and they sort of acclimatize to the Caspian Sea, 280 00:14:56,060 --> 00:14:58,550 then I can put together a really good argument 281 00:14:58,550 --> 00:14:59,600 to protect this area. 282 00:15:01,298 --> 00:15:02,983 And let's see what we've got. 283 00:15:04,852 --> 00:15:06,950 This is great, look at this, this is full of shrimp. 284 00:15:06,950 --> 00:15:09,480 It's full of tiny crustaceans. 285 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:11,890 This is exactly what sturgeon want to eat. 286 00:15:11,890 --> 00:15:16,420 You can see here tiny, little shrimp. 287 00:15:16,420 --> 00:15:20,050 This is the ideal diet for juvenile sturgeon. 288 00:15:20,050 --> 00:15:21,067 This is what they're gonna be feeding on 289 00:15:21,067 --> 00:15:23,000 for the first few years of their life 290 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,720 before they make their migration out into the Caspian Sea. 291 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:29,010 They might spend 15 years before they come back 292 00:15:29,010 --> 00:15:31,060 to this river to reproduce again. 293 00:15:31,060 --> 00:15:33,560 So, this couldn't be better. 294 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,800 (gentle music) 295 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:39,440 No one is certain just how many sturgeon 296 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,373 are left in the Caspian and its surrounding rivers. 297 00:15:43,830 --> 00:15:46,580 International experts have predicted 298 00:15:46,580 --> 00:15:48,640 that at the current rate of decline, 299 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:52,210 sturgeon will be fully extinct in the wild 300 00:15:52,210 --> 00:15:53,473 within just a few years. 301 00:15:55,570 --> 00:15:57,470 Rory would be extremely lucky 302 00:15:57,470 --> 00:15:59,713 if he saw a wild sturgeon here. 303 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:03,590 So he's going to try a completely different way 304 00:16:03,590 --> 00:16:06,090 of finding this elusive fish. 305 00:16:06,090 --> 00:16:09,603 Something never done before in the Caspian sea. 306 00:16:13,150 --> 00:16:16,380 In Surrey, just outside of London, UK, 307 00:16:16,380 --> 00:16:19,760 a team of researchers are using a groundbreaking tool 308 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:22,413 that changes everything in marine science. 309 00:16:24,090 --> 00:16:28,520 Using environmental DNA, or just eDNA, 310 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:32,400 scientists can now identify fish and other animals 311 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,643 just by collecting a small sample of water. 312 00:16:37,284 --> 00:16:40,560 eDNA is genetic material that we collect, 313 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:43,870 which isn't attached to the animal that it came from. 314 00:16:43,870 --> 00:16:45,400 So what we now understand 315 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:47,670 is that when animals that live in water, 316 00:16:47,670 --> 00:16:49,690 or they come into contact with water, 317 00:16:49,690 --> 00:16:52,090 they leave traces of genetic material, 318 00:16:52,090 --> 00:16:54,540 just like how when we touch things with our hands, 319 00:16:54,540 --> 00:16:57,460 we leave a fingerprint, and there's DNA in that fingerprint 320 00:16:57,460 --> 00:17:00,600 that we can use to identify the person it came from. 321 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:04,230 And we can catch that material from the water 322 00:17:04,230 --> 00:17:06,660 and isolate genetics from it, 323 00:17:06,660 --> 00:17:09,410 and use that to identify the species that it came from. 324 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,380 The old way of doing it was quite invasive for the fish. 325 00:17:15,380 --> 00:17:18,350 So it involved pulling them out of the water, 326 00:17:18,350 --> 00:17:20,453 electrocuting them, so they're stunned, 327 00:17:21,300 --> 00:17:24,570 and the more we can do to reduce the impact 328 00:17:24,570 --> 00:17:26,870 that we have on the actual animal, the better. 329 00:17:29,276 --> 00:17:31,260 eDNA testing is a new technology. 330 00:17:31,260 --> 00:17:33,640 When I was in university, studying marine biology, 331 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:35,070 it didn't exist. 332 00:17:35,070 --> 00:17:37,200 If you wanted to know which fish were here, 333 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:39,950 you'd have to net for them, you'd have to dive 334 00:17:39,950 --> 00:17:40,870 and see if you can find them, 335 00:17:40,870 --> 00:17:42,120 and then you'd have to track them. 336 00:17:42,120 --> 00:17:45,670 With eDNA testing I can find out what's here 337 00:17:45,670 --> 00:17:46,830 without doing any of that. 338 00:17:46,830 --> 00:17:49,190 Now, no one's ever done that in this National Park, 339 00:17:49,190 --> 00:17:51,250 and no one's ever done that in the Caspian Sea. 340 00:17:51,250 --> 00:17:55,040 So it's a real first, and it's gonna be really exciting 341 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:55,873 to get a result. 342 00:17:57,003 --> 00:17:59,586 (gentle music) 343 00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:02,810 There's been so much overfishing in this sea 344 00:18:02,810 --> 00:18:05,250 over the last 50 years that we don't know 345 00:18:05,250 --> 00:18:07,040 if they're here anymore. 346 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:09,830 So I would hope to find sturgeon, you know, 347 00:18:09,830 --> 00:18:12,950 one, two, three, four, five species of. 348 00:18:12,950 --> 00:18:15,040 But I hope to find Caspian salmon. 349 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:17,150 And then I think we might find some lamprey, 350 00:18:17,150 --> 00:18:18,870 maybe some pike-perch. 351 00:18:18,870 --> 00:18:20,190 And we might find something 352 00:18:20,190 --> 00:18:21,840 that no one even knows it's here. 353 00:18:23,550 --> 00:18:25,493 And my biggest fear is 354 00:18:25,493 --> 00:18:27,590 that there's not going to be anything in here. 355 00:18:27,590 --> 00:18:29,100 We're gonna take it to the lab, 356 00:18:29,100 --> 00:18:31,333 and they're gonna tell me that there's no fish. 357 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:36,270 Collecting an eDNA sample 358 00:18:36,270 --> 00:18:38,420 might only take a few minutes, 359 00:18:38,420 --> 00:18:40,910 but Rory will have to wait several weeks 360 00:18:40,910 --> 00:18:43,003 before these results can be revealed. 361 00:18:44,083 --> 00:18:46,666 (gentle music) 362 00:18:51,210 --> 00:18:53,860 The Caspian isn't the only part of the world 363 00:18:53,860 --> 00:18:56,220 where sturgeon can be found. 364 00:18:56,220 --> 00:18:58,280 In fact, they inhabit the waters 365 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:00,553 all across the Northern Hemisphere. 366 00:19:02,870 --> 00:19:05,550 Nine of the 26 sturgeon species 367 00:19:05,550 --> 00:19:08,160 can be found in North America. 368 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:10,450 And just like their Caspian cousins, 369 00:19:10,450 --> 00:19:13,023 history has been deeply unkind to them. 370 00:19:14,516 --> 00:19:17,040 (gentle piano music) 371 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:21,300 In the late 1800s there were more than 15 million sturgeon 372 00:19:21,300 --> 00:19:22,953 in the Great Lakes alone. 373 00:19:23,970 --> 00:19:26,420 Sturgeon originally were very, very abundant. 374 00:19:26,420 --> 00:19:29,060 They were so abundant, that they actually became a nuisance 375 00:19:29,060 --> 00:19:31,000 to commercial fishermen and their gear. 376 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:33,130 So often they would just take them out of their nets, 377 00:19:33,130 --> 00:19:34,220 and they would throw them onshore 378 00:19:34,220 --> 00:19:36,540 and stack them up like cordwood, let them dry out. 379 00:19:36,540 --> 00:19:39,540 They would burn them in steamers on the Great Lakes as fuel. 380 00:19:42,110 --> 00:19:46,510 It wasn't always universally loved and desired. 381 00:19:46,510 --> 00:19:49,700 For a very long time people in Western Europe 382 00:19:49,700 --> 00:19:53,720 and in the United States were repulsed by this fish. 383 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:57,070 And amazingly, if they would catch a sturgeon, 384 00:19:57,070 --> 00:19:59,800 they would feed the raw to their pigs, 385 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:01,803 because it had no value to them. 386 00:20:04,230 --> 00:20:06,810 This all changed in the 1880s 387 00:20:06,810 --> 00:20:09,823 with the arrival of European caviar traders. 388 00:20:12,220 --> 00:20:14,390 A couple of Germans came over and showed people 389 00:20:14,390 --> 00:20:17,120 how to process the caviar, and how you can make 390 00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:19,270 a very nice smoked meat product. 391 00:20:19,270 --> 00:20:21,257 It was called Albany beef at the time. 392 00:20:21,257 --> 00:20:24,170 And a huge industry then sprung up for the flesh, 393 00:20:24,170 --> 00:20:26,620 and especially for the caviar, and they would ship 394 00:20:26,620 --> 00:20:29,200 barrels and barrels of caviar back to Europe. 395 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,600 The nouveaux riches of France and Germany 396 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:34,770 had completely taken to caviar. 397 00:20:34,770 --> 00:20:36,670 Many important establishments 398 00:20:36,670 --> 00:20:38,840 such as the Ritz hotel in Paris, 399 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:42,430 started to include caviar on their menus. 400 00:20:42,430 --> 00:20:45,930 For a brief time in the late 19th century 401 00:20:45,930 --> 00:20:49,550 New Jersey was the largest producer of caviar in the world. 402 00:20:49,550 --> 00:20:51,610 There was more caviar going to Europe 403 00:20:51,610 --> 00:20:54,273 from the USA than from Russia. 404 00:20:55,350 --> 00:20:57,950 It was so abundant, because there were so many sturgeon. 405 00:20:57,950 --> 00:21:00,380 So for a number of years the bars would just use them 406 00:21:00,380 --> 00:21:03,550 like they would peanuts, just for bar food, 407 00:21:03,550 --> 00:21:05,180 just to bring the patrons in. 408 00:21:05,180 --> 00:21:07,280 And it was a nice salty thing, 409 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:08,980 so it made people drink more beer. 410 00:21:10,870 --> 00:21:12,720 In this frenzy of demand, 411 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:15,360 the rivers and lakes in the Eastern USA 412 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:17,990 became empty of sturgeon. 413 00:21:17,990 --> 00:21:19,320 It was a gold rush. 414 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:21,910 There was just so much money to be made. 415 00:21:21,910 --> 00:21:25,170 Nobody really thought about, well, 416 00:21:25,170 --> 00:21:27,070 if these sturgeons aren't spawning, 417 00:21:27,070 --> 00:21:30,600 and if there's no new generation being born, 418 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:34,290 there'll be no sturgeon next year or the year after that. 419 00:21:34,290 --> 00:21:37,410 In just 30 years, sturgeon catches 420 00:21:37,410 --> 00:21:41,523 went from tens of thousands of fish down to only a handful. 421 00:21:42,950 --> 00:21:45,740 The world's insatiable appetite for caviar 422 00:21:45,740 --> 00:21:49,903 almost wiped out the entire American sturgeon population. 423 00:21:51,460 --> 00:21:56,250 When you catch a sturgeon, you don't just catch one fish. 424 00:21:56,250 --> 00:22:00,113 You eliminate the possibilities of future generations. 425 00:22:00,948 --> 00:22:03,531 (upbeat music) 426 00:22:07,518 --> 00:22:09,090 100 years later, 427 00:22:09,090 --> 00:22:12,290 in the heart of the Midwest of the United States, 428 00:22:12,290 --> 00:22:15,893 the sturgeon has become a conservation success story. 429 00:22:17,420 --> 00:22:20,600 Rory has traveled to Wisconsin to find out 430 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:22,500 how one sturgeon population 431 00:22:22,500 --> 00:22:25,093 has managed to make an incredible comeback. 432 00:22:26,980 --> 00:22:30,490 In the Caspian we're up against so many challenges. 433 00:22:30,490 --> 00:22:34,000 It's kind of easy to think that it might be impossible 434 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:35,330 to restore these populations. 435 00:22:35,330 --> 00:22:37,770 But they've done it here in Wisconsin, 436 00:22:37,770 --> 00:22:39,430 and I will learn how they've done it 437 00:22:39,430 --> 00:22:41,650 and take that back to the Caspian 438 00:22:41,650 --> 00:22:43,483 to restore populations there. 439 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:48,583 For Rory this is also a very personal journey. 440 00:22:49,970 --> 00:22:52,540 It is in America where he first developed 441 00:22:52,540 --> 00:22:55,033 his affection for this prehistoric creature. 442 00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:59,360 Ever since I was a kid, I've been around fish. 443 00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:03,440 I spent my summers on my uncle's sturgeon farm in California 444 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:05,870 taking the eggs from the fish, fertilizing them, 445 00:23:05,870 --> 00:23:09,020 fishing a lot, taking the fish out of the tanks. 446 00:23:09,020 --> 00:23:14,020 And ever since I was sort of obsessed with rivers, 447 00:23:14,260 --> 00:23:17,483 with the ocean and with marine conservation in general. 448 00:23:18,333 --> 00:23:20,830 (gentle music) 449 00:23:20,830 --> 00:23:23,670 Rory is heading for a small town called Shawano 450 00:23:23,670 --> 00:23:25,403 on the banks of the Wolf River. 451 00:23:26,270 --> 00:23:29,730 It's known for being the best place on the planet 452 00:23:29,730 --> 00:23:31,763 to see sturgeon in the wild. 453 00:23:32,980 --> 00:23:35,220 This town is clearly all about sturgeon. 454 00:23:35,220 --> 00:23:37,810 I'm driving down the main road here, 455 00:23:37,810 --> 00:23:41,010 and I've just driven past a five-meter long sturgeon 456 00:23:41,010 --> 00:23:42,980 at the side of the road, not a real one, 457 00:23:42,980 --> 00:23:46,097 but they're obviously very important to the people 458 00:23:46,097 --> 00:23:47,233 who live around here. 459 00:23:49,100 --> 00:23:51,130 Sturgeon are extremely fussy 460 00:23:51,130 --> 00:23:53,420 about where they lay their eggs. 461 00:23:53,420 --> 00:23:55,510 And just to find the right spot, 462 00:23:55,510 --> 00:24:00,000 they'll travel over 100 miles, covering up to 20 miles a day 463 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:01,863 to reach their spawning grounds. 464 00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:05,930 The fish's internal wiring demands 465 00:24:05,930 --> 00:24:09,660 that it returns to the same area, even to the same spot 466 00:24:09,660 --> 00:24:12,723 where it was hatched many years earlier. 467 00:24:12,723 --> 00:24:14,590 (soft piano music) 468 00:24:14,590 --> 00:24:18,310 Despite dedicating many years to saving the sturgeon, 469 00:24:18,310 --> 00:24:21,083 Rory has never seen one in the wild. 470 00:24:22,650 --> 00:24:23,720 I'm excited, you know, 471 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:25,810 I've been working with these fish for a long time 472 00:24:25,810 --> 00:24:29,480 and I've never seen sturgeon in the wild. 473 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:31,130 And I've never seen sturgeon spawning. 474 00:24:31,130 --> 00:24:33,333 So for me this is a big event. 475 00:24:34,730 --> 00:24:37,830 It's really exciting to go and actually see 476 00:24:37,830 --> 00:24:39,990 these prehistoric fish moving up the river 477 00:24:39,990 --> 00:24:41,650 and spawning naturally. 478 00:24:41,650 --> 00:24:44,694 There's no other place in the world where you could do that. 479 00:24:44,694 --> 00:24:47,277 (gentle music) 480 00:24:48,696 --> 00:24:51,529 (waves splashing) 481 00:24:53,130 --> 00:24:54,753 No way. 482 00:24:56,229 --> 00:24:58,729 (Rory laughs) 483 00:24:59,784 --> 00:25:02,534 (dramatic music) 484 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:05,363 That is unbelievable. 485 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:09,090 And right here. 486 00:25:11,799 --> 00:25:13,716 (Rory laughs) 487 00:25:13,716 --> 00:25:17,090 They're spawning right here on the gravel. 488 00:25:17,090 --> 00:25:18,610 They're coming right up onto the rocks 489 00:25:18,610 --> 00:25:19,710 and laying their eggs. 490 00:25:20,707 --> 00:25:22,866 (water splashing) 491 00:25:22,866 --> 00:25:24,300 And there's the female releasing her eggs, 492 00:25:24,300 --> 00:25:25,800 and the male fertilizing them. 493 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,710 I've never seen anything like this before in my life. 494 00:25:30,710 --> 00:25:32,823 Remarkable, absolutely remarkable. 495 00:25:33,933 --> 00:25:36,683 (dramatic music) 496 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:40,043 It's the most incredible thing I've ever seen. 497 00:25:41,030 --> 00:25:42,180 And they're everywhere. 498 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:45,230 There must be hundreds of them. 499 00:25:46,415 --> 00:25:50,082 (dramatic orchestral music) 500 00:26:00,140 --> 00:26:01,447 What a great success. 501 00:26:01,447 --> 00:26:05,133 This is hugely exciting and hugely encouraging. 502 00:26:05,133 --> 00:26:06,520 Rory has been invited 503 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,480 by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. 504 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:11,313 Hello, Rory. 505 00:26:11,313 --> 00:26:13,270 And is joining Ryan Koenigs 506 00:26:13,270 --> 00:26:16,573 who leads their highly successful conservation program. 507 00:26:16,573 --> 00:26:18,133 This is. (Ryan laughs) 508 00:26:18,133 --> 00:26:19,590 What we have here in Wisconsin, 509 00:26:19,590 --> 00:26:21,910 particularly the sturgeon population 510 00:26:21,910 --> 00:26:23,700 in the Winnebago area where I work, 511 00:26:23,700 --> 00:26:27,640 is probably the strongest sturgeon population in the world. 512 00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:29,730 How old are some of these fish spawning right here? 513 00:26:29,730 --> 00:26:31,330 Some of the fish in our population 514 00:26:31,330 --> 00:26:32,780 we believe to be over 100 years old. 515 00:26:32,780 --> 00:26:33,810 Wow. 516 00:26:33,810 --> 00:26:36,070 There's a wood carving up here, 517 00:26:36,070 --> 00:26:37,300 that's a fish that we handled. 518 00:26:37,300 --> 00:26:41,940 And in 2012 that fish was 87.5 inches long. 519 00:26:41,940 --> 00:26:45,740 We estimate that that fish would've been 100-120 years old 520 00:26:45,740 --> 00:26:47,230 when we handled her. 521 00:26:47,230 --> 00:26:49,490 There's a very nice fish within the Winnebago System. 522 00:26:49,490 --> 00:26:52,690 You'll see males today six feet long or longer, 523 00:26:52,690 --> 00:26:54,040 and you might see, if we're lucky, 524 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:56,460 we might see a female that's close to seven feet long. 525 00:26:56,460 --> 00:26:58,046 I think people from all around the world 526 00:26:58,046 --> 00:26:59,430 are gonna come and see this, 527 00:26:59,430 --> 00:27:00,927 because this doesn't happen anywhere else. 528 00:27:00,927 --> 00:27:02,590 Yep. 529 00:27:02,590 --> 00:27:04,550 (gentle music) 530 00:27:04,550 --> 00:27:07,393 And people do come, lots of them. 531 00:27:09,700 --> 00:27:12,210 There's thousands of people come through here. 532 00:27:12,210 --> 00:27:14,950 Kids would be bussed in, you know, from different schools 533 00:27:14,950 --> 00:27:17,120 and people from out of state. 534 00:27:17,120 --> 00:27:19,280 Everybody comes around just to see the sturgeon, 535 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:20,980 and it's a big deal for everybody. 536 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:24,017 The word gets out, and they come. 537 00:27:24,017 --> 00:27:26,490 (upbeat music) 538 00:27:26,490 --> 00:27:27,840 The sturgeon run is one 539 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:30,680 of America's great, natural spectacles, 540 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:33,573 attracting crowds from across the country. 541 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,910 It's a big deal to have the sturgeon in Wisconsin. 542 00:27:37,910 --> 00:27:39,340 We've always heard about it in the news, 543 00:27:39,340 --> 00:27:41,030 and this was the first time that we've gotten 544 00:27:41,030 --> 00:27:43,710 to take a shot at checking it out. 545 00:27:43,710 --> 00:27:45,289 It's pretty exciting. 546 00:27:45,289 --> 00:27:48,086 (people exclaiming) 547 00:27:48,086 --> 00:27:51,086 (lively folk music) 548 00:27:59,176 --> 00:28:00,320 Shouldn't even park here. 549 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:02,700 For biologist Ryan Koenigs, 550 00:28:02,700 --> 00:28:05,210 this 10-day spawning period is by far 551 00:28:05,210 --> 00:28:07,230 his busiest time of year. 552 00:28:07,230 --> 00:28:10,830 (lively folk music) 553 00:28:10,830 --> 00:28:14,290 Sturgeon had been making the same journey up these waterways 554 00:28:14,290 --> 00:28:16,883 for the past 14,000 years. 555 00:28:18,140 --> 00:28:21,583 They've one thing in mind, to reproduce. 556 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:28,320 In the shallow water females lay their eggs on the rocks. 557 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:32,910 When they are ready, the males suddenly thrash their tails 558 00:28:32,910 --> 00:28:36,003 to secure a good position next to a spawning female. 559 00:28:37,340 --> 00:28:41,660 Within seven days, thousands of these eggs will be hatched. 560 00:28:41,660 --> 00:28:44,393 But only a few will make it to adulthood. 561 00:28:46,620 --> 00:28:50,340 Ryan and his team are responsible for monitoring the fish 562 00:28:50,340 --> 00:28:52,923 and to gather as much data as possible. 563 00:28:54,420 --> 00:28:55,940 We measure the fish, we determine 564 00:28:55,940 --> 00:28:57,460 whether they're male or female. 565 00:28:57,460 --> 00:28:59,810 75.6, you got that, Mike? 566 00:28:59,810 --> 00:29:01,760 And we check to see if they're tagged or untagged. 567 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:03,990 And that information that we're collecting 568 00:29:03,990 --> 00:29:06,919 allows us to learn a lot about the population. 569 00:29:06,919 --> 00:29:08,230 114. 570 00:29:08,230 --> 00:29:09,510 When the fish are as big as you, 571 00:29:09,510 --> 00:29:11,940 it makes the job a little difficult. 572 00:29:11,940 --> 00:29:13,650 If you wanna work with big fish like these, 573 00:29:13,650 --> 00:29:15,298 you gotta be tough. 574 00:29:15,298 --> 00:29:18,377 (lively music) 575 00:29:18,377 --> 00:29:20,358 I think we're doing this. 576 00:29:20,358 --> 00:29:22,941 (lively music) 577 00:29:26,395 --> 00:29:28,978 (gentle music) 578 00:29:31,290 --> 00:29:34,220 With approximately 45,000 sturgeon 579 00:29:34,220 --> 00:29:37,830 in the Lake Winnebago System, another pair of hands 580 00:29:37,830 --> 00:29:39,083 is certainly welcome. 581 00:29:40,570 --> 00:29:42,030 You're gonna help me on the board. 582 00:29:42,030 --> 00:29:44,340 We're gonna measure the fish, so you can be on the tail, 583 00:29:44,340 --> 00:29:45,810 help getting the fish out of the net. 584 00:29:45,810 --> 00:29:47,467 Okay. 585 00:29:47,467 --> 00:29:48,320 Off we go. 586 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:50,670 We'll see the first one. Look at this guy. 587 00:29:53,210 --> 00:29:55,477 I'm just taking the fish out, we're measuring them 588 00:29:55,477 --> 00:29:57,160 and seeing if they're male of female, 589 00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:58,510 and we're PIT tagging them. 590 00:29:59,810 --> 00:30:01,101 I think this is a male. 591 00:30:01,101 --> 00:30:03,550 (both laughing) 592 00:30:03,550 --> 00:30:05,670 Okay, 47. 593 00:30:05,670 --> 00:30:06,963 47.1. 594 00:30:09,570 --> 00:30:12,270 I've handled farm ones before, but never wild ones. 595 00:30:12,270 --> 00:30:13,133 They're strong. 596 00:30:14,205 --> 00:30:15,601 (Rory grunts) 597 00:30:15,601 --> 00:30:17,670 (biologists laughing) 598 00:30:17,670 --> 00:30:21,212 They feel like one great, big piece of muscle. 599 00:30:21,212 --> 00:30:23,033 It's pretty tiring work. 600 00:30:23,033 --> 00:30:24,783 But it's good fun, it's worthwhile. 601 00:30:25,637 --> 00:30:28,260 I hope we can do this in the Caspian one day. 602 00:30:28,260 --> 00:30:31,600 Sturgeon have made such a rebound in Wisconsin 603 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:34,180 that they can now help revive the lakes and rivers 604 00:30:34,180 --> 00:30:38,243 in other states, from which Sturgeon died out decades ago. 605 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:43,140 One of the main ways to rehabilitate the fish population 606 00:30:43,140 --> 00:30:44,290 is through stocking. 607 00:30:44,290 --> 00:30:45,360 So what we'll be doing today 608 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:47,970 is we'll be actually collecting eggs and sperm 609 00:30:47,970 --> 00:30:50,700 from some of the fish that we handle today. 610 00:30:50,700 --> 00:30:53,887 Oh, female, look at the eggs coming out, wow. 611 00:30:55,659 --> 00:30:58,363 Roughly how many eggs do the fish like these hold, Ryan? 612 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:02,040 Probably the average female in the Winnebago System 613 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:05,070 has about between 800,000 and a million eggs. 614 00:31:05,070 --> 00:31:06,750 Million eggs? 615 00:31:06,750 --> 00:31:08,220 The sturgeon needs to lay 616 00:31:08,220 --> 00:31:10,230 an enormous amount of eggs, 617 00:31:10,230 --> 00:31:13,130 because the chance of producing offspring in the wild 618 00:31:13,130 --> 00:31:15,280 are incredibly slim. 619 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:19,570 Just one out of every 50,000 eggs released by the female 620 00:31:19,570 --> 00:31:21,943 will make it past the end of the summer. 621 00:31:23,580 --> 00:31:27,074 Basically caviar right there, 622 00:31:27,074 --> 00:31:29,853 as fresh as you can get, amazing. 623 00:31:31,100 --> 00:31:33,730 For nearly 30 years Richard Klett 624 00:31:33,730 --> 00:31:35,113 has been raising sturgeon. 625 00:31:36,872 --> 00:31:39,530 And we're gonna fertilize each individual group 626 00:31:39,530 --> 00:31:41,490 with the individual male. 627 00:31:41,490 --> 00:31:43,110 Certain groups of eggs are getting fertilized 628 00:31:43,110 --> 00:31:44,950 by different males. Yeah, yeah, sure. 629 00:31:44,950 --> 00:31:46,460 We'll grab our milt. 630 00:31:46,460 --> 00:31:49,313 Actually, you only need a few little drops in here. 631 00:31:50,890 --> 00:31:52,620 And the sperm really isn't gonna do anything 632 00:31:52,620 --> 00:31:54,810 until we add water. Oh yeah? 633 00:31:54,810 --> 00:31:56,810 We're kinda replicating what's happening 634 00:31:56,810 --> 00:31:58,610 just behind us in the bay here, right? 635 00:31:58,610 --> 00:32:00,040 Yep, yep. 636 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:01,567 So after we fertilize these eggs, Richard, 637 00:32:01,567 --> 00:32:04,020 how long do they take to hatch? 638 00:32:04,020 --> 00:32:06,750 Typically, it takes about seven days. 639 00:32:06,750 --> 00:32:08,280 To most people this is caviar. 640 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,520 We have a couple of hundreds of these on a cracker, 641 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:11,570 and it's caviar. 642 00:32:11,570 --> 00:32:14,710 To us, this little egg is gonna grow into a fish 643 00:32:14,710 --> 00:32:16,730 that's gonna grow for 100 years, 644 00:32:16,730 --> 00:32:18,640 that's gonna swim up and down this river 645 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:20,550 50 times in its lifetime. 646 00:32:20,550 --> 00:32:23,706 I mean, it's just the most incredible story. 647 00:32:23,706 --> 00:32:24,900 As part of the DNR 648 00:32:24,900 --> 00:32:27,040 sturgeon conservation program, 649 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:28,850 these fertilized sturgeon eggs 650 00:32:28,850 --> 00:32:31,593 are taken to the nearby Wild Rose Hatchery. 651 00:32:32,770 --> 00:32:35,210 In this giant indoor facility 652 00:32:35,210 --> 00:32:38,130 the next generation of sturgeon are being reared, 653 00:32:38,130 --> 00:32:41,503 and after 12 months they'll be released into the wild. 654 00:32:43,620 --> 00:32:47,950 But sturgeon conservation is a notoriously slow process. 655 00:32:47,950 --> 00:32:50,350 It will take at least 20 years or more 656 00:32:50,350 --> 00:32:54,210 for these juveniles to start producing the next generation 657 00:32:54,210 --> 00:32:56,636 in rivers across the USA. 658 00:32:56,636 --> 00:33:00,303 (dramatic orchestral music) 659 00:33:02,830 --> 00:33:06,010 It's Rory's last day, and he's just about to take 660 00:33:06,010 --> 00:33:07,243 an important call. 661 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:10,050 So I just had an email last night 662 00:33:10,050 --> 00:33:12,470 from the eDNA lab in the UK 663 00:33:12,470 --> 00:33:14,280 telling me that they've got the results through 664 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:15,860 from the samples that I took 665 00:33:15,860 --> 00:33:18,110 from the marine protected area in the Caspian 666 00:33:19,221 --> 00:33:20,930 to see if there are any sturgeon present. 667 00:33:20,930 --> 00:33:23,280 So I'm hoping that there's going to be sturgeon there, 668 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:25,263 but we'll see. 669 00:33:26,500 --> 00:33:28,483 Hey, Kat, it's Rory, how are you? 670 00:33:28,483 --> 00:33:29,800 Hey Rory, I'm great, thanks. 671 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:34,070 I hear that the eDNA results are in from Azerbaijan. 672 00:33:34,070 --> 00:33:36,580 They are and so yeah, 673 00:33:36,580 --> 00:33:38,730 I'm happy to sort of talk you through them. 674 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:44,880 So in total, we found 21 species of fish in the few filters. 675 00:33:46,096 --> 00:33:47,240 Wow. 676 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:49,760 Also 20 species in one filter, 677 00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:53,163 and 10 of those species were found in the second filter. 678 00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:58,439 Sadly, none of them was sturgeon. 679 00:33:58,439 --> 00:33:59,790 Oh no. 680 00:33:59,790 --> 00:34:02,513 It's not the news Rory wanted to hear. 681 00:34:03,390 --> 00:34:06,740 Sorry, I know it's disappointing, but it was a long shot 682 00:34:06,740 --> 00:34:09,273 to find something rare in just two samples. 683 00:34:10,687 --> 00:34:13,287 But it does add weight to his campaign. 684 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:17,860 I think the fact that we didn't pick up trace 685 00:34:17,860 --> 00:34:20,480 of any of these fish just strengthens the argument 686 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:22,453 for protection and restoration. 687 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:28,093 This makes me want to protect these fish even more. 688 00:34:28,093 --> 00:34:31,010 (melancholy music) 689 00:34:35,450 --> 00:34:38,560 In the USA, conservation programs 690 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:40,773 have helped the sturgeon to fight back. 691 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:47,470 Rory's aim is to do the same for the sturgeon 692 00:34:47,470 --> 00:34:52,130 in the Caspian Sea by creating a marine protected area, 693 00:34:52,130 --> 00:34:53,373 the first of its kind. 694 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:56,900 Someone needs to care about the sturgeon, you know. 695 00:34:56,900 --> 00:34:58,760 A lot of people don't know anything about the sturgeon 696 00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:00,790 because they're big, they're slow, 697 00:35:00,790 --> 00:35:02,000 they're old and they're ugly. 698 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:05,000 And you know, they're very, very hard to see. 699 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:07,950 But these fish are very, very important 700 00:35:07,950 --> 00:35:10,030 for the ecosystems where they live. 701 00:35:10,030 --> 00:35:12,390 They're incredibly important culturally. 702 00:35:12,390 --> 00:35:16,170 And they once were an incredibly important source of protein 703 00:35:16,170 --> 00:35:18,643 for coastal communities in the Caspian. 704 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:22,517 Since the end of World War II 705 00:35:22,517 --> 00:35:25,570 the battle to save the sturgeon in the Caspian 706 00:35:25,570 --> 00:35:28,012 was consistently being lost. 707 00:35:28,012 --> 00:35:31,260 (suspenseful music) 708 00:35:31,260 --> 00:35:35,350 During the 1950s to make up for the devastating impact 709 00:35:35,350 --> 00:35:36,590 that the dam building had 710 00:35:36,590 --> 00:35:40,210 on the sturgeon's ability to spawn, the Soviets began 711 00:35:40,210 --> 00:35:43,650 to build many hatcheries across the Caspian 712 00:35:43,650 --> 00:35:47,100 and released millions of sturgeon into the rivers. 713 00:35:47,100 --> 00:35:50,090 But despite the population's stabilizing, 714 00:35:50,090 --> 00:35:52,553 their habitat continued to degrade. 715 00:35:54,530 --> 00:35:56,190 I mean, the Soviets really 716 00:35:56,190 --> 00:35:58,310 had no environmental sensibility, 717 00:35:58,310 --> 00:36:01,870 and the Soviet Union was enormously polluted. 718 00:36:01,870 --> 00:36:03,820 I mean, they would dump all kinds of things. 719 00:36:03,820 --> 00:36:06,900 Nuclear waste, I mean they were very cavalier 720 00:36:06,900 --> 00:36:08,620 about all source of pollution. 721 00:36:08,620 --> 00:36:13,620 So, the combination of the dams and the factory pollution 722 00:36:14,090 --> 00:36:18,583 really had a tremendous effect on the sturgeon populations. 723 00:36:20,420 --> 00:36:22,490 And then, in 1991 724 00:36:22,490 --> 00:36:24,823 came the breakup of the Soviet Union. 725 00:36:25,700 --> 00:36:28,690 Communism had been hard enough on the sturgeon, 726 00:36:28,690 --> 00:36:31,333 but capitalism would prove far worse. 727 00:36:33,540 --> 00:36:35,480 The dissolution of the Soviet Union 728 00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:39,270 results in collapse of management and control systems 729 00:36:39,270 --> 00:36:41,020 of the fishery industry. 730 00:36:41,020 --> 00:36:44,170 Consequently, criminal groups emerged 731 00:36:44,170 --> 00:36:48,400 to take over the activities regarding caviar trade. 732 00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:51,550 And this resulted in the end in overexploitation 733 00:36:51,550 --> 00:36:53,823 of sturgeon stocks in the '90s. 734 00:36:54,830 --> 00:36:56,290 Everyone became a poacher. 735 00:36:56,290 --> 00:36:58,200 It became a free-for-all. 736 00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:01,760 People went out poaching just to feed their families. 737 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:04,910 Caviar became also an underground method of payment. 738 00:37:04,910 --> 00:37:07,600 It became a form of bribery. 739 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,820 During this time, it was crazy. 740 00:37:10,820 --> 00:37:13,430 Caviar was everywhere. 741 00:37:13,430 --> 00:37:16,853 Poachers were active on a massive scale. 742 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:20,620 It was estimated that illegal trade 743 00:37:20,620 --> 00:37:24,223 was around six to 10 times the legitimate trade. 744 00:37:25,370 --> 00:37:29,100 I think that there was also this case with a funeral car 745 00:37:29,100 --> 00:37:32,120 with half ton of caviar being seized 746 00:37:32,120 --> 00:37:34,203 by the officials in Russia. 747 00:37:34,203 --> 00:37:37,010 (boat engine revving) 748 00:37:37,010 --> 00:37:39,740 In the 1990s, Russian authorities 749 00:37:39,740 --> 00:37:41,980 battled with organized crime groups 750 00:37:41,980 --> 00:37:44,920 to put an end to the caviar black market, 751 00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:47,133 which had become increasingly violent. 752 00:37:48,490 --> 00:37:51,040 It's not just a luxury food now. 753 00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:53,023 It's a dangerous product as well. 754 00:37:55,140 --> 00:37:57,480 In 2002, in response 755 00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:00,870 to the high levels of poaching and the illegal trade, 756 00:38:00,870 --> 00:38:03,090 Russia banned the sale of all caviar 757 00:38:03,090 --> 00:38:05,463 produced in their Caspian Sea territory. 758 00:38:06,490 --> 00:38:10,210 Then, in 2014, sturgeon fishing was banned 759 00:38:10,210 --> 00:38:12,623 throughout the entire Caspian Sea. 760 00:38:13,620 --> 00:38:15,480 And now Russia is working 761 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:19,980 to restore the sturgeon population in the Astrakhan region, 762 00:38:19,980 --> 00:38:23,003 once the caviar capital of the world. 763 00:38:24,820 --> 00:38:27,620 But despite this, poaching in the Caspian 764 00:38:27,620 --> 00:38:29,706 is an ongoing problem. 765 00:38:29,706 --> 00:38:31,170 (waves crashing) 766 00:38:31,170 --> 00:38:33,990 Poaching in the Caspian for sturgeon 767 00:38:33,990 --> 00:38:36,360 has been disastrous for the populations. 768 00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:39,210 It's too easy to catch these fish when they're migrating. 769 00:38:40,220 --> 00:38:42,060 In response to the growing problem 770 00:38:42,060 --> 00:38:45,000 of illegal fishing, Azerbaijan created 771 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:47,310 an anti-poaching task force 772 00:38:47,310 --> 00:38:51,796 to patrol its 500-mile shoreline on the Caspian. 773 00:38:51,796 --> 00:38:56,129 (Ismail speaks in foreign language) 774 00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:08,750 Ismail and his team 775 00:39:08,750 --> 00:39:11,030 have to be prepared for anything. 776 00:39:11,030 --> 00:39:13,423 Poachers here can carry guns. 777 00:39:14,823 --> 00:39:19,323 (Ismail speaks in a foreign language) 778 00:39:34,578 --> 00:39:36,750 (crew member speaks in foreign language) 779 00:39:36,750 --> 00:39:37,930 The crew has spotted 780 00:39:37,930 --> 00:39:40,780 a suspicious fishing boat in the distance. 781 00:39:40,780 --> 00:39:43,310 They have to reach it quickly before the fishermen 782 00:39:43,310 --> 00:39:45,603 can dump their illegal catch overboard. 783 00:39:46,890 --> 00:39:50,703 If they're caught red-handed, this is a serious offense. 784 00:39:54,620 --> 00:39:58,110 There has been a serious decline in all types of fish, 785 00:39:58,110 --> 00:40:00,180 and for some fishermen living in areas 786 00:40:00,180 --> 00:40:02,860 where economic opportunities are slim, 787 00:40:02,860 --> 00:40:06,003 catching a sturgeon is a risk worth taking. 788 00:40:09,104 --> 00:40:13,437 (Ismail speaks in foreign language) 789 00:40:26,894 --> 00:40:28,280 It's clear these fishermen 790 00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:30,930 haven't committed any offense. 791 00:40:30,930 --> 00:40:34,193 Judging by today's catch, there isn't much to celebrate. 792 00:40:35,890 --> 00:40:38,110 Even if they wanted to net a sturgeon, 793 00:40:38,110 --> 00:40:39,713 they'd be lucky to find one. 794 00:40:40,900 --> 00:40:43,980 The sign of the times in the sea whose marine life 795 00:40:43,980 --> 00:40:46,780 has suffered decades of overfishing 796 00:40:46,780 --> 00:40:48,886 and industrial pollution. 797 00:40:48,886 --> 00:40:51,320 (boat engine revving) 798 00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:55,440 We cannot save sturgeon, and we cannot stop poaching 799 00:40:55,440 --> 00:41:00,360 unless there's an alternative for fishing communities. 800 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:03,620 We need to build industry, we need to educate people, 801 00:41:03,620 --> 00:41:05,890 we need to create awareness. 802 00:41:05,890 --> 00:41:10,560 And there needs to be a viable alternative in rural regions, 803 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:13,120 otherwise people will always poach these fish, 804 00:41:13,120 --> 00:41:14,220 as long as they exist. 805 00:41:15,061 --> 00:41:18,061 (suspenseful music) 806 00:41:19,790 --> 00:41:22,360 Caviar entrepreneur Rufat Tabasaranskiy 807 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:24,890 has a plan that could provide a lifeline 808 00:41:24,890 --> 00:41:28,179 for both the sturgeon and the local community. 809 00:41:28,179 --> 00:41:31,179 (suspenseful music) 810 00:41:32,847 --> 00:41:36,264 (Rufat speaking Russian) 811 00:42:08,746 --> 00:42:11,329 (dogs barking) 812 00:42:15,747 --> 00:42:17,244 (Rufat speaking Russian) 813 00:42:17,244 --> 00:42:18,580 Like many in this area, 814 00:42:18,580 --> 00:42:22,629 Yassar is struggling to make ends meet as a fisherman. 815 00:42:22,629 --> 00:42:26,020 (men speaking in Russian) 816 00:42:26,020 --> 00:42:29,228 (Yassar speaks in foreign language) 817 00:42:29,228 --> 00:42:32,728 (men speaking in Russian) 818 00:42:41,855 --> 00:42:44,293 (Yassar speaks in foreign language) 819 00:42:44,293 --> 00:42:47,793 (Rufat speaks in Russian) 820 00:43:09,453 --> 00:43:12,286 (engine whirring) 821 00:43:14,430 --> 00:43:16,960 This vast building site will soon be 822 00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:19,820 a state of the art sturgeon farm. 823 00:43:19,820 --> 00:43:23,330 And it's here where Yassar will join many other locals 824 00:43:23,330 --> 00:43:25,590 to help raise these giant fish 825 00:43:25,590 --> 00:43:27,863 to produce sustainable caviar. 826 00:43:29,790 --> 00:43:32,920 The demand for caviar has never been higher, 827 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:35,113 and it's set to continue to grow. 828 00:43:36,860 --> 00:43:39,940 Once responsible for the sturgeon's demise, 829 00:43:39,940 --> 00:43:43,970 today it is the caviar industry that could hold the key 830 00:43:43,970 --> 00:43:45,623 to the sturgeon survival. 831 00:43:48,280 --> 00:43:52,610 Aquaculture or fish farming has a bad reputation, 832 00:43:52,610 --> 00:43:53,963 and rightfully so. 833 00:43:54,940 --> 00:43:56,480 People associate aquaculture 834 00:43:56,480 --> 00:43:59,290 with pesticides and antibiotics. 835 00:43:59,290 --> 00:44:02,463 And we haven't done it very well until now. 836 00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:06,840 Within just a few months 837 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:10,173 these giant ponds will be teeming with sturgeon. 838 00:44:13,687 --> 00:44:17,187 (Rufat speaks in Russian) 839 00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:34,760 Not all the sturgeon on this farm 840 00:44:34,760 --> 00:44:36,567 will be harvested for caviar. 841 00:44:37,472 --> 00:44:40,972 (Rufat speaks in Russian) 842 00:44:48,090 --> 00:44:50,250 Returning fingerlings to the sea 843 00:44:50,250 --> 00:44:52,340 certainly can have an impact. 844 00:44:52,340 --> 00:44:54,600 We've seen with sea trouts and salmon 845 00:44:54,600 --> 00:44:58,180 that hatcheries play a major role in conservation. 846 00:44:58,180 --> 00:44:59,330 But we have to ensure 847 00:44:59,330 --> 00:45:01,090 that when we put these fingerlings back, 848 00:45:01,090 --> 00:45:03,400 that they're genetically strong, 849 00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:05,833 and they're able to survive in the wild. 850 00:45:07,580 --> 00:45:09,310 Unlike wild caught fish, 851 00:45:09,310 --> 00:45:11,870 which have a much larger gene pool, 852 00:45:11,870 --> 00:45:15,710 farmed fish can come from a limited genetic stock. 853 00:45:15,710 --> 00:45:18,030 If the genetics aren't diverse enough, 854 00:45:18,030 --> 00:45:21,550 releasing them into the wild could cause major problems, 855 00:45:21,550 --> 00:45:25,353 as any interbreeding might lead to a weakened genetic line. 856 00:45:27,880 --> 00:45:30,190 By turning poachers into gamekeepers 857 00:45:30,190 --> 00:45:31,720 and restocking the Caspian 858 00:45:31,720 --> 00:45:34,860 by releasing hundreds of young fish every year, 859 00:45:34,860 --> 00:45:37,580 people like Rufat are showing that conservation 860 00:45:37,580 --> 00:45:40,333 and aquaculture can work together. 861 00:45:43,050 --> 00:45:46,550 (Rufat speaks in Russian) 862 00:46:06,263 --> 00:46:08,350 I think that if people learned 863 00:46:08,350 --> 00:46:12,730 about the story of the sturgeon, how much of an effort it is 864 00:46:12,730 --> 00:46:17,610 for this great female fish to swim through the Caspian Sea, 865 00:46:17,610 --> 00:46:20,460 to swim 500 kilometers up the Kura River, 866 00:46:20,460 --> 00:46:24,000 and lay her eggs, then to swim back 867 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:27,023 past the maze of gill nets into the sea, 868 00:46:28,350 --> 00:46:31,450 I don't think people would want to eat wild caviar. 869 00:46:31,450 --> 00:46:33,260 (birds calling) 870 00:46:33,260 --> 00:46:34,850 Nearly three billion people 871 00:46:34,850 --> 00:46:36,583 depend on the ocean for food. 872 00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:40,070 We already take more fish from the ocean 873 00:46:40,070 --> 00:46:42,463 than it can naturally replace. 874 00:46:43,800 --> 00:46:46,490 But although nearly half of the seafood we eat 875 00:46:46,490 --> 00:46:50,080 comes from farms, over 1/3 of fish caught 876 00:46:50,080 --> 00:46:53,333 is converted into fish meal to feed farmed fish. 877 00:46:55,490 --> 00:46:58,330 This is putting great pressure on the oceans 878 00:46:58,330 --> 00:47:00,612 and contributing to their decline. 879 00:47:00,612 --> 00:47:03,550 (suspenseful music) 880 00:47:03,550 --> 00:47:06,030 For every kilogram of farmed fish, 881 00:47:06,030 --> 00:47:09,200 farmers use the same weight in wild caught fish 882 00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:11,193 such as anchovies or mackerel. 883 00:47:14,400 --> 00:47:18,220 Another major ingredient for fish feed is soy. 884 00:47:18,220 --> 00:47:23,042 Huge demand for this crop has led to massive deforestation. 885 00:47:23,042 --> 00:47:25,792 (dramatic music) 886 00:47:27,209 --> 00:47:30,420 At the same time demand for fish around the world 887 00:47:30,420 --> 00:47:32,100 has been soaring. 888 00:47:32,100 --> 00:47:37,100 The end result, empty oceans and destroyed ecosystems. 889 00:47:37,327 --> 00:47:39,910 (gentle music) 890 00:47:42,220 --> 00:47:45,860 As concerns about our oceans and food supply grow, 891 00:47:45,860 --> 00:47:48,210 people are rising up to the challenge 892 00:47:48,210 --> 00:47:49,933 in the search for solutions. 893 00:47:54,420 --> 00:47:56,020 In the heart of the Netherlands 894 00:47:56,020 --> 00:47:59,240 known for being the Silicon Valley of agriculture, 895 00:47:59,240 --> 00:48:00,560 researchers have come up 896 00:48:00,560 --> 00:48:03,513 with a groundbreaking way to feed fish. 897 00:48:05,985 --> 00:48:06,890 (insects buzzing) 898 00:48:06,890 --> 00:48:10,563 This is the largest insect farm in the world. 899 00:48:12,665 --> 00:48:14,560 They're being bred to help tackle 900 00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:16,513 the rising global food problem. 901 00:48:18,620 --> 00:48:22,560 Insects are really packed with valuable nutrients 902 00:48:22,560 --> 00:48:25,833 that include proteins, but also fats that the fish require. 903 00:48:26,940 --> 00:48:29,080 Because of the high protein value, 904 00:48:29,080 --> 00:48:32,683 insects can easily replace the proteins in fish feed. 905 00:48:33,520 --> 00:48:37,050 The insects can be fed with fruit and vegetable waste, 906 00:48:37,050 --> 00:48:39,680 which makes them the ideal sustainable 907 00:48:39,680 --> 00:48:42,710 and natural ingredient for fish feed. 908 00:48:42,710 --> 00:48:45,260 So in essence insects can help the oceans 909 00:48:45,260 --> 00:48:48,740 by being a very good replacer for the proteins 910 00:48:48,740 --> 00:48:51,303 that people at this moment get from the oceans. 911 00:48:53,620 --> 00:48:57,200 So far, insect feed has been trialed on salmon, 912 00:48:57,200 --> 00:48:59,890 and the results have been successful. 913 00:48:59,890 --> 00:49:03,010 Trials for feeding sturgeon have just started, 914 00:49:03,010 --> 00:49:06,030 and this could pave the way for many other fish farms 915 00:49:06,030 --> 00:49:07,023 around the globe. 916 00:49:08,800 --> 00:49:11,430 We need to change the way aquaculture 917 00:49:11,430 --> 00:49:14,870 is being executed today. 918 00:49:14,870 --> 00:49:18,220 If we don't, then we will deplete our resources, 919 00:49:18,220 --> 00:49:20,290 in particular in the oceans more and more. 920 00:49:20,290 --> 00:49:24,743 And it will result in extinction of many species. 921 00:49:26,930 --> 00:49:29,830 By changing the food that our food eats, 922 00:49:29,830 --> 00:49:32,580 not only can we help preserve marine life, 923 00:49:32,580 --> 00:49:35,460 but also meet the nutritional needs of a world 924 00:49:35,460 --> 00:49:39,510 whose population is set to hit 10 billion by 2050. 925 00:49:40,892 --> 00:49:43,642 (dramatic music) 926 00:49:46,304 --> 00:49:49,540 (traffic roaring) 927 00:49:49,540 --> 00:49:51,920 Here we are now, it's been a very difficult project, 928 00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:53,040 and as we all know. 929 00:49:53,040 --> 00:49:56,730 Following years of fieldwork and investigation, 930 00:49:56,730 --> 00:49:59,100 Rory's pleas have been heard. 931 00:49:59,100 --> 00:50:00,600 And it's decision time. 932 00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:01,880 Great task indeed. 933 00:50:01,880 --> 00:50:03,680 I think the take-home message from me 934 00:50:03,680 --> 00:50:06,360 is that we mustn't lose hope, 935 00:50:06,360 --> 00:50:09,670 we must keep trying, we must keep doing scientific research. 936 00:50:09,670 --> 00:50:11,263 And we must keep working with local communities, 937 00:50:11,263 --> 00:50:14,810 because we don't have any choice, but to save these fish. 938 00:50:14,810 --> 00:50:16,242 Okay, thank you very much. 939 00:50:16,242 --> 00:50:19,630 (people applauding) 940 00:50:19,630 --> 00:50:23,600 I hope I showed people that a marine protected area 941 00:50:23,600 --> 00:50:27,960 in Azerbaijan will restore populations of sturgeon. 942 00:50:27,960 --> 00:50:30,753 And I just hope that it happens soon. 943 00:50:32,640 --> 00:50:36,330 It's now or never for this legendary fish, 944 00:50:36,330 --> 00:50:39,883 which has been around since the time of the dinosaurs. 945 00:50:40,947 --> 00:50:43,864 (melancholy music) 946 00:50:54,113 --> 00:50:57,300 (dramatic music) 947 00:50:57,300 --> 00:51:01,863 It's the dawn of a new era for the Caspian sturgeon. 948 00:51:04,040 --> 00:51:05,770 I've always had a dream that sturgeon 949 00:51:05,770 --> 00:51:08,311 could make a comeback in the Caspian. 950 00:51:08,311 --> 00:51:09,980 (dramatic music) (birds chirping) 951 00:51:09,980 --> 00:51:11,420 With the marine protected area, 952 00:51:11,420 --> 00:51:13,240 we've got a real chance at that. 953 00:51:14,300 --> 00:51:17,203 It's gonna take some time, and it'll take some investment, 954 00:51:18,220 --> 00:51:20,450 but I'm confident that in a generation 955 00:51:20,450 --> 00:51:22,800 we'll be seeing more of these prehistoric fish. 956 00:51:24,570 --> 00:51:26,840 This is what we're here to do, right? 957 00:51:26,840 --> 00:51:30,293 (birds chirping) (gentle music) 958 00:51:30,293 --> 00:51:33,212 (water splashing) 959 00:51:33,212 --> 00:51:35,795 (gentle music)