They call it the "other black gold."
The black market caviar industry is thriving and it is putting an iconic Northwest fish in jeopardy.
Columbia River sturgeon are being poached and sold for big bucks to satisfy wealthy tastes around the region.
Wildlife agents have already busted up a ring involving Russian brokers buying sturgeon illegally from tribal fishermen and putting them on the black market. (Read the full story here.)
Sturgeon above Bonneville Dam have already been in serious decline.
This kind of poaching takes away the most critical component of that population - females of egg bearing age and size.
It takes a sturgeon 25 to 28 years before it produces eggs. It takes minutes to illegally yank one from the river. A potential breeder of thousands of future sturgeon is gone forever.
One man was recently sentenced to five years probation for his role in an illegal caviar ring in the Portland area.
Wildlife officials and fishing groups would love to see much more serious penalties.
1 Comments
Diamondfist said:
The self centered greed and oblivious short sighted selfishness of some elements of our society never ceases to disgust me.
This is a magnificent fish, and with some self control and good management, one that will be around for all to enjoy for a long time. We really need to empower the dept of game & wildlife with the ability to impose much harsher penalties for these types of crimes.
How close to "threatened" is this species I wonder?
The self centered greed and oblivious short sighted selfishness of some elements of our society never ceases to disgust me.
This is a magnificent fish, and with some self control and good management, one that will be around for all to enjoy for a long time. We really need to empower the dept of game & wildlife with the ability to impose much harsher penalties for these types of crimes.
How close to "threatened" is this species I wonder?