Chiara, a PhD student from the University of Padova, joined the LIFE-Boat4Sturgeon team for a three-month research exchange. With a background in genetics, she contributed to the projects multidisciplinary efforts in sturgeon conservation, which require both fundamental and applied research across a range of scientific fields. During her stay, she focused extensively on sturgeon conservation and hatchery practices, gaining hands-on experience with the reproduction and larval rearing of several species, including Acipenser ruthenus, A. gueldenstaedtii, A. stellatus, and Huso huso.
Her work involved capturing and sampling broodstock, determining their maturation using biometric and ultrasound methods, collecting and fertilizing eggs, and maintaining eggs and larvae. She actively participated in the artificial reproduction process and in the release of both adult and juvenile sturgeons into various sections of the Danube River. All those actions contribute to supporting international efforts to restore endangered sturgeon populations.
This exchange was made possible in part by financial support from the World Sturgeon Conservation Society (WSCS) Student Exchange Grant. We are grateful for Chiara’s contributions and wish her continued success in her research journey.
