Russians only let the price, not the threat of extinction, come between them and caviar, a survey by the World Wildlife Fund said yesterday.
Russians are consuming less of the prized delicacy compared with a couple of years ago, but only because the price of the tiny black sturgeon roe has increased, the global conservation organization said.
Rising prices discouraged 68 per cent of respondents from buying caviar, the WWF survey said, while only 4 per cent cited the collapse of Caspian Sea sturgeon stocks as a factor in the decline.
"We found that our countrymen don't think of the environment when they eat caviar, but the rising prices are making people buy less and less," said WWF's Moscow spokeswoman, Darya Kudryavtseva.
WWF estimates that 90 per cent of all black caviar - the most expensive kind - has been taken illegally from the waters.
"People are ready to buy illegal caviar. The fate of sturgeon and the legality of caviar is of little concern to Russians," she said.
Last month, Russian police seized almost half a tonne of contraband caviar worth an estimated $600,000 (U.S.) as it was being smuggled through a military airfield in garbage bags, the interior ministry said at the time.
Overfishing, poaching, pollution, poor management and corrupt law-enforcement agencies have cut sturgeon stocks severely, environmental groups have said.
Caviar can be extracted from various species of fish, though in Russia most comes from sturgeon.
Caviar is usually served lightly salted as either a snack or a light meal, and often comes accompanied by pancakes.
Caviar from the rare beluga sturgeon costs about $1,800 per kilogram in Moscow markets, though other types cost less.
