Redatelj: Alfred Schwarzenberger
Trajanje: 53min
Sinopsis
The River Danube is home to a fish that grows larger than the Great White Shark. Although it leads a secretive life, the Beluga Sturgeon – the King of the Danube – produces the most prized food in the whole world. For over 200 million years, the 8-metre long fish had no enemies, and yet today it is on the verge of extinction. Evolution did not prepare the fish for pollution, river regulation and overfishing. Beluga caviar is traded for up to 20,000 dollars per kilogramme. Ironically, the high price of this precious product could save the animals from a premature disappearance from planet earth.
‘Billion Dollar Fish’ tells the tale of a giant survivor from prehistoric times and the desperate fight of a handful of scientists to save it from extinction. Radu Suciu works for the Danube Institute. His mission takes him along vast stretches of the river, from the Black Sea through the Danube Delta and to the Iron Gate. He studies a world about which we know no more than of the surface of the moon – the bottom of the Danube. In the deep, murky water, the belugas swim upstream to their spawning sites. To keep track of them, Radu Suciu needs high-tech equipment such as ultrasonic underwater cameras. “The beluga is the most valuable fish in the world, but it is also the most difficult to research.” Suciu has dedicated 20 years of his life to study the fish. His life revolves around them. “I simply love these fish. They are absolutely unique, marvellous creatures“, he enthuses.
