Support The Moscow Times!

Caspian Sea Nations Meet on Fishing

Competitors pausing for breath during a caviar-eating contest in Moscow in April Vasily Maximov

The five Caspian Sea nations met to discuss a new sustainable-fishing policy for the inland sea.

Fisheries representatives from Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran met in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday to discuss a new treaty to regulate “exploitation of biological resources” in the Caspian, Interfax reported.

The five littoral states formally agreed on a common environmental policy on the sea under the Convention for Protection of the Marine Environment, which was signed in Tehran in 2006.

Officials at Russia’s Federal Fisheries Agency and the Foreign Ministry did not comment on the talks Friday.

The Caspian is one of Russia’s major fisheries, but stocks of both its famous sturgeon and less valuable sprats have suffered from overfishing in recent decades.

The population of beluga sturgeon, whose eggs provide the most expensive caviar in the world, collapsed from overfishing and poaching after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Although Russia banned exports of Caspian caviar and outlawed commercial sturgeon fishing in 2003 and imposed a complete blanket ban on fishing it in 2007, poaching remains a serious threat.

Border guards seized seven tons of illicit catch in 2011, according to the Federal Fisheries Agency website.

Most legally available black caviar in Russia now comes from sturgeon raised on fish farms.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more