Risks for Sakhalin SalmonSakhalin Salmon Initiative

Across the Russian Far East, many wild populations have exhibited declines, with 42% at moderate to high risk of extinction. The Sakhalin taimen, the most evolutionarily ancient and largest salmonid, is currently in serious danger of extinction.

The primary threats to salmon are:

Unsustainable harvest, particularly poaching for roe. Experts estimate that only one of every forty fishing nets used on Sakhalin is legal, and illegal harvests are estimated to be equal in volume to legal harvests.
Habitat destruction and degradation. The legacy of unsustainable forestry and mining practices has seriously altered Sakhalin's landscapes, with habitat damage still evident decades later. Over 40 billion dollars have been invested in Sakhalin's oil and gas industry over the past decade, demonstrating the scale of current development in the region.
Climate change, which threatens to disrupt ecosystem balance with unforeseen consequences for salmon and their ecosystems.

Failure to address these threats to Sakhalin's salmon ecosystems will likely result in the decline of salmon populations, significantly weakening Sakhalin's ecological health and undermining the economies and food security of local communities.