Caviar: Illegal Trade

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April 2002

I attended a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) training workshop in Dubai last month. It was targeted at officials from departments involved in implementing the Convention in the UAE, and organized by the Federal Environmental Agency, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency and the World Wide Fund for Nature – UAE project office.

The UAE first joined the Convention (which is looked upon as a sort of ‘green certification’- a proof of legality for wildlife entering international trade) in 1974; then withdrew, and rejoined in 1990. This was the first such workshop ever to be held in the Emirates; and training was imparted by Jonathan Barzdo and Stephen Nash, chiefs of CITES convention support and capacity building units, respectively.

Among the case studies presented was one on the illicit trade in caviar. Last year, CITES suspended all wildlife trade with the UAE largely because of its role as a major transshipment point for illegal caviar from the Caspian, the largest inland body of water on earth and the cradle of world caviar production.

The sturgeon - principle source of the luxury food, caviar. A multimillion dollar international trade in this gourmet fare makes the sturgeon rank among the world’s most prized aquatic species; a boon for those who have reaped untold profits by trafficking in ‘black pearls’ (caviar); calamitous for conservationists and humanity at large, who have seen fish stocks plummet. Fish that are considered ‘living fossils’ as they have survived since dinosaurs roamed the earth sent hurtling towards extinction in just a decade! Such is the avarice of mankind.


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Five littoral states along the Caspian Sea supply over 90 per cent of the world’s caviar - Iran and four former Soviet republics, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan.

However, few endangered species have been so severely impacted by illegal activities as the sturgeon. Subjected to over harvesting and intense pressure from poachers, stocks have declined rather dramatically in recent years. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the four post Soviet republics eased restrictions on caviar production and many entrepreneurs sprang up to replace state-owned companies. None of these countries was able to control over-exploitation and poaching, as much of the trade was clamped in the jaws of organized crime.

To avert a sturgeon fishery collapse, in 1998, all sturgeon species (there are 27, of which six are distributed in the Caspian and its drainage basin) were included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), one of the world’s largest conservation agreements signed by 157 countries, including the UAE. This meant that trade in caviar will be allowed only with a CITES permit to be issued upon determination that commercial trade is not detrimental to the survival of sturgeon species in the wild.

But by the time of CITES listing, poaching of sturgeon for caviar had reached very serious levels. While the legal caviar trade has been estimated to be worth some $100 million annually, for every tonne of fish caught legally, at least five tonnes are harvested illegally. Some estimates even place the illegal off take as high as 12 times the legal catch. Besides that entering international trade, domestic markets in the Caspian nations too are dominated by unauthorized caviar as well as sturgeon meat.

In 1981, the total global sturgeon catch equaled 26,800 tonnes. By 2000, it had crashed below 3000 tonnes.

It is easy to understand why illicit trade continues to thrive. 250 g of the best quality caviar fetches $ 1,476 in duty-free airport shops (illegal caviar sells for less than half this value), the major markets being the European Union, Switzerland, Japan and the USA. Criminal networks are deeply involved in nefarious activities incorporating forgery, fraud,

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corruption, violence and smuggling. Caviar has been exported, falsely declared as salmon roe. Illegal shipments have been detected crossing borders in false panels in motor vehicles, in the baggage compartments of public buses and, in one case, even under the sleeping compartment of a train. Airline passengers have been found with suitcases so full of caviar that one person could hardly lift them; one such case contained tins weighing a total of 70 kg.

Until last year, unscrupulous dealers who exploited loopholes in local law were using the UAE as a staging point for Caspian caviar smuggling operations. By using forged documents and making false declarations to officials, traders were able to obtain CITES re-export certificates from the local authorities. The caviar was then shipped to Asia, Europe and North America to be sold as being of lawful origin. An investigation by the CITES secretariat last year, indicated that caviar worth $ 40 million had passed through the Emirates to enter into international trade illegally. Several shipments were prevented from leaving the UAE or seized by importing countries after consultation with the CITES Secretariat in Geneva.

In November 2001, CITES suspended all wildlife trade with the UAE, recommending that, until further notice, member states refuse any import of specimens of CITES-listed species from, and any export or re-export of such specimens to the Emirates. The UAE responded promptly, spearheading scientific, legal and administrative measures to comply with the Convention requirements. CITES training for officials of concerned departments in all emirates, legislation and enforcement mechanisms are now being put in place. The efforts have paid off. Responding to pledges of reform by the UAE, last month CITES agreed to withdraw in three phases, its earlier recommendation of trade suspension with the country.

A similar trade ban against the Caspian states (excluding Iran, which has a functioning sturgeon management system) was also lifted last month when the concerned nations agreed to limit their caviar exports to 142 tonnes this year. They now have till June to step up efforts to combat illegal harvesting and trade, while regulating domestic trade.

What is caviar?

The term is mostly used to identify unfertilized roe from sturgeon species. Processing roe into caviar involves removing the eggs from a female that is ready or nearly ready to spawn, gently rinsing the mature eggs and adding a small quantity of salt. Generally, caviar is sold as one of three varieties known in the trade as sevruga, osietra and beluga. Caviar may be stored fresh, or it may be pasteurized for a longer shelf life (up to two years). However, all caviar is perishable and must be stored in cool temperatures between – 4 and –2 degrees Centigrade.

CITES and the international trade in sturgeons and sturgeon products

Twenty five of the 27 sturgeon species are listed in of CITES (Appendix two), which means that international trade in these sturgeons and their products, including live specimens, caviar, flesh, bones, cartilage and all their derivatives can occur, but only under a system of permits. This means an export permit from the country where the sturgeon or product originated, or a re-export certificate from the country of re-export. The two species listed in Appendix one – the common or Baltic sturgeon of Europe and the short-nose sturgeon of North America - are banned in international commercial trade.

An exemption from the strict CITES rules for international trade is that each person is permitted to carry, from one country to another, 250 grammes of caviar - a quantity considered to represent a “personal effect.” This rule is enforced by customs officers of the vast majority of CITES parties.

Consumers have a key role to play in promoting the conservation of endangered species of sturgeon by reducing their demand for caviar and buying only from reputable merchants who carry caviar and other sturgeon products all year long at fairly stable prices. Caviar from illegal sources comes with a warning sign: low price.

WHAT ON EARTH CAN WE DO?

In your home, avoid using disposable (throwaway) paper or plastic plates, cups, cutlery and eating utensils.

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