What historical activity was the primary driver of white sturgeon population decline?
Answer
Intense overfishing targeting meat and eggs (caviar)
Historically, the most devastating factor leading to the severe depletion of white sturgeon stocks was direct, unsustainable human harvesting. This fishing pressure targeted both the valuable meat of the fish and, significantly, their eggs, which are highly sought after for processing into caviar. Because the species exhibits slow growth and late maturity, sustained heavy fishing pressure rapidly removed large, mature adults from the population base without allowing sufficient time for natural replenishment to occur within a human timescale, leading to drastic stock collapses.
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