Wildlife report claims Russian villagers rely on salmon poaching

A new report filed by WWF Russia and wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, claims that Russian villagers from the Kamchatka peninsula rely on poaching salmon for the majority of their income.

"Salmon is an integral part of Kamchatka's economy, but stocks are threatened by unsustainable illegal offtake," said Natalia Dronova, coordinator at WWF-TRAFFIC. Ms Dronova authored the report which assessed the level of poaching in the region of five species of salmon.

She found that the poaching of salmon on spawning grounds had increased significantly, caused by increased accessibility, the Russian economic situation and the easing of trade regulations. She added that keeping poaching under control was difficult due to technical difficulties, corruption and by the fact that it was often the only source of income for the villagers.

The report recommended improving the options for the legal processing of fish, and the creation of new employment for the villagers.