An initiative restricting the air transport of unlabelled red caviar in Kamchatka has reduced the volume of undocumented products carried by passengers fourfold. The use of commercial flights to transport poached catches has virtually ceased, with violations occurring only episodically.
Previously, the transport of illegal salmon caviar through the airport occurred on a massive scale, with individual passengers attempting to check up to 600 kilograms of unlabelled product as baggage. Current regulations permit passengers to carry a maximum of 10 kilograms of non-industrial caviar per person on board. This established limit accommodates personal consumption needs while rendering logistics unprofitable for poachers – shadow networks have lost their economic viability.
Export volumes of undocumented caviar have consistently declined. In 2022, over 556 tonnes of undocumented caviar were shipped from the peninsula. This figure decreased to 185 tonnes in 2023, reached 175 tonnes in 2024, and fell to 125 tonnes in 2025. A parallel reduction has occurred in the amount of biological resources confiscated from illegal fishers directly at inland water bodies. Strict oversight at airports also prevents potentially hazardous goods of unknown origin from entering the broader market.
These regulatory practices have proven effective and are now being implemented in other territories of the Russian Far East, including the Khabarovsk Krai and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. At the federal level, the initiative has been extended until August 1, 2027, allowing for the collection of comprehensive data across multiple regions.
By the end of the current year, an additional analysis of the mechanism’s efficiency will be conducted. Under the directive of Governor Vladimir Solodov, the collected data will serve as the foundation for potential regulatory adjustments and the development of new measures aimed at the conservation of Pacific salmon populations.