California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials discovered and shut down caviar traffickers as part of a broader enforcement effort against wildlife poaching and smuggling, according to SFGate.
What happened?
Officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have recently ramped up enforcement efforts against the illegal poaching of sturgeon and salmon along the Sacramento River. Under the California Endangered Species Act, both fish species are currently under consideration to be designated as “threatened.”
Fish populations are so stressed that salmon fishing on the Sacramento River has been off limits since 2023, while sturgeon fishing is limited to catch-and-release only. However, people still want caviar, and sturgeon caviar, in particular, can fetch quite a price.
SFGate reported that the department put out a news release stating there is “high demand and profitability of illegal caviar trafficking.”…