Conservation groups are up in arms against a move to resume trade in Caspian Sea caviar. In 2001, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (cites) had placed a moratorium on caviar trade by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. Iran, though not subject to the ban, had also joined in the effort. But cites now claims that the populations of beluga sturgeon, from which eggs are extracted to prepare caviar, are recovering. The governments in the region are also "fully committed to enforcing regulations', it asserts. Amid this perceived turnaround, cites has announced a plan to set catch and export quotas.

Environmentalists maintain that the beluga sturgeon numbers have actually declined by as much as 39 per cent from 2001 to 2002. Ellen Pikitch, marine biologist and Wildlife Conservation Society officer, argues: " cites' assertion is based on faulty methodologies for analysing fish abundance. The quota for beluga caviar exports should be zero. Any number above that is unwise and unsustainable.' It may be noted that the us Fish and Wildlife Service is currently deliberating on a request from environmental groups to put beluga sturgeon on the list of endangered species in the country.