Rusprodsoyuz spoke about the consequences of reducing the production of red caviar

Given the decline in salmon catches, Russians can switch to caviar from other fish, while red caviar will not disappear from store shelves, executive director of Rusprodsoyuz Dmitry Vostrikov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

In early September, the head of Rosrybolovstvo called the salmon fishing season in 2026 unsuccessful. The decline in salmon catch in Russia by more than half compared to initial forecasts of 227 thousand tons is associated with climate change. Additionally, in odd-numbered years, salmon catches typically exceed those of even-numbered years.

“Some consumers may switch to alternatives: for example, caviar of other fish,” Vostrikov said in an interview at the Golden Autumn exhibition.

He noted that after a successful fishing season in 2025, there are carryover stocks of frozen fish, which are used mainly by processing enterprises. At the same time, due to low catches in 2026, production volumes may decrease and prices for new season products may be adjusted.

At the same time, the head of the association emphasized that red caviar will not be lost.

“Since perestroika, no product has disappeared from store shelves due to the fact that the market laws of supply and demand through price elasticity began to work. A small salmon catch will be reflected in the price and demand will noticeably decrease, flowing into more acceptable similar products,” he pointed out.