According to Russian TV, they have drafted in a special police squad from Moscow's Interior Ministry for the duration of the spawning season to combat gangs of poachers preying on the fish as they head upriver to spawn.

In Dagestan's Kizlyar District alone, up to 50 gangs go out poaching every day, the channel says. They are well-organised and well-equipped, even bringing industrial refrigerators in to hold their catch.