Russian AgMin extends ban on catching Caspian roach in Volga, Caspian Sea until 2027

ASTRAKHAN. Oct 3 (Interfax) - The Russian Agriculture Ministry has extended the ban on catching Caspian roach for industrial and private purposes in the Caspian Sea and waters in the Astrakhan region and Kalmykia until December 31, 2026.

This follows from an order published by the ministry on the official legal information portal.

"Industrial and private fishing of Caspian roach, with the exception of bycatch authorized in accordance with fishing regulations, in the Caspian Sea, waters in the Kalmykia Republic and the Volga River and its streams in the Astrakhan region is to be prohibited until December 31, 2026," the document reads.

As Astrakhan regional governor Igor Babushkin has said, the amount of Caspian roach caught in the Caspian Sea has decreased by 98.3% in the last 35 years. In order to solve this problem, the region appealed to Russia's Federal Agency for Fishery (Rosrybolovstvo) and Agriculture Ministry, presenting an initiative to limit private and industrial Caspian roach fishing in 2024. The agencies backed this proposal and the Agriculture Ministry subsequently enforced a full ban in 2025.

The ministry's order also extends a ban on catching common roach in seven districts of the Astrakhan region until the end of next year, as well as the ban on using certain types of fishing tackle.

The order will come into force on January 1, 2026.

Catching pike in the Volga River and streams in Kalmykia and the Astrakhan region will also be prohibited from December 11, 2025 until February 15, 2026.