New harvest in Caspian Sea increases fears

Something I've never though of, but is obvious in retrospect, is the effect of the Endangered Species Act outside the United States. In this case, the Beluga sturgeon, of caviar fame, has been overharvested in the Caspian Sea. Environmental groups are petitioning, and now suing, to get the sturgeon placed on the protected list, which would keep Caspian caviar from being imported legally to the US. (There are already quotas in place in all countries on the Caspian, though they're being violated.)

One thing I'm sure of is that the fishermen would be harmed by this. It's inevitable. But it's also inevitable that if the sturgeon goes extinct they will be harmed anyway. Allowing the population to rebound, and then coming up with strong limits, is best in the long term. But it's awfully hard to think of the long term when you're trying to feed your family, especially in a poor country as all the former Soviet republics are.