A principios de 2011, el gobierno ruso puso fin a su prohibición de exportar caviar a Europa.

El gobierno ruso impuso esta prohibición en 2002 para detener la sobrepesca y la caza furtiva de esturión en los mares Azov y Caspio. Durante la época soviética, las principales fuentes de caviar negro del mundo, el tipo de caviar más codiciado, eran los mares de Azov y Caspio. Simultáneamente con el caos económico que envolvió a la Rusia postsoviética, el mercado ruso del caviar quedó dominado por los cazadores furtivos y la sobrepesca ilegal. Desde finales de la década de 1980 hasta 2010, la población de esturiones en los mares de Azov y Caspio disminuyó unas cuarenta veces.

Russia may face some challenges in its re-entry to the caviar market.

Russia faces competition from Iran, which emerged as the top exporter of black caviar to Europe during the nine-year period of Russia’s export ban.  Israel also exports caviar, selling about 3000 kg of caviar in 2011.  Israel, in contrast to Russia, is not limited by internal export regulations, as caviar cannot be sold in Israel due to religious laws.  The Russian law only allows 150 kilos of black caviar to be exported annually to Europe.  The demand for black caviar is high, and the limited supply of Russian caviar exports may not be able to fully meet this demand, allowing competitors to stay in business. Russia’s nine-year exit from the European caviar market may have allowed competing markets such as those of Iran and Israel to develop loyal relationships with consumers.  However, Russian caviar’s historical reputation may help it regain its market share.

Las granjas de esturión han surgido en Rusia como una alternativa al esturión salvaje.

The amount of these farms is expected to rise.  As the number of these farms grows, Russia may eventually regain its world market share of black caviar exports.  It takes about seven years to raise a sturgeon, and Russian’s nine year ban has provided time to raise new sturgeon.  These farms may eventually make up a major source of exported Russian caviar, supplemented by some wild sturgeon-derived caviar.  As caviar production shifts to farms and increasingly stringent penalties on poachers decrease illegal poaching of wild sturgeon, these wild sturgeon may be given an opportunity to repopulate and eventually allow Russia to increase its quota on wild sturgeon-derived caviar.

Las tensiones políticas también pueden complicar la recuperación del mercado ruso del caviar.

The European Union has regulations regarding aquacultured products, and in past years, the Russian government has refused to sign certain trade agreements.  In addition to Russia, Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan surround the Caspian Sea, which may prevent Russia from fully capitalizing on the sturgeon in the Caspian Sea.  Russia has gotten into conflicts with former Soviet republics that have been seeking to re-establish their national identities, and a paucity of agreements among these countries may pose hurdles in the effort to repopulate the wild sturgeon population.  The United States may be another potential for Russian black caviar exports, but political disagreements between these two countries may make it difficult for Russia to take full advantage of the U.S. market, allowing exporters such as Israel, which maintains friendly relations with the U.S., to take up more of the U.S. market share.