ECONOMY
USA MAY SUSPEND IMPORT OF BELUGA CAVIAR
The US Fish and Wildlife Service have announced the list of endangered animals. The rules for protection of the endangered animals will be made within 6 months. If the rules are not announced for the above-mentioned period USA will ban the import.
The purchase and sale of the beluga caviar caught in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea basins has been conditioned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species /CITES/ since 1998. The US Administration’s decision is aimed at complying with international regulations.
The service reports that a kilo of beluga caviar cost $3200 in the market while the annual legal turnover comes to above $100 million. However, poaching in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan enhance 10-fold the turnover of beluga.
The annual export quota of sturgeon and caviar in the Caspian is regulated by the CITES. By the latest estimation, the caviar export quota is 146760 kg.