R O U T E

1. E U R O P E:

This section journeys along the Atlantic coast of France, visiting the Garonne River and home to some of the last Atlantic Sturgeon, before heading East; across Northern Italy and intercepting the Danube in Romania. I will then use this mighty river as my highway all the way to the Danube Delta, a rare stronghold to the few sturgeon in Europe.

2. C R O S S R O A D S:

Georgia and Azerbaijan sit in the nexus between Europe and Asia, a place long steeped in expeditions and where incredible hospitality is often found. Here I hope to retrace my steps, going back to the river where my conservation career first started, the Rioni, and aim to give back as much as that experience gave me.

3. T H E ‘S T A N S’:

Dubbed the ‘Stans’, this culturally and biologically diverse region of the planet plays host to some of the last truly nomadic peoples (and sturgeon) in an area of extreme altitudes and views. It is here that I aim to follow parts of the old Silk Road, traverse roads most have never heard of and join the search for the Syr Darya shovelnose sturgeon, a species ‘lost’ to science but anecdotally is still caught by fishers in remote sections of the river.