Red caviar may double in price by the New Year: experts name reasons

Red caviar in Russia has increased in price by 41% over the past year - from 5.8 thousand rubles per kilogram to 9.3 thousand. And although there are still a good 4 months until the New Year, when demand for red caviar traditionally grows several times, the prices for the delicacy are actively discussed on social networks. "MK" visited specialized stores and got acquainted with the prices for this product. They are impressive!

The few customers curiously examine the price tags on the counter. There is something to be surprised about. The cheapest caviar is sockeye salmon – 1,246 rubles for a 140-gram jar. A jar of chum salmon caviar costs even more – 1,400 rubles, and pink salmon, which is the most common in the trade – 1,456…

- Why is it so expensive? - a female buyer is indignant. - It's not New Year's yet, after all, and the prices are sky-high...

- I'm not the one making it, - the sleepy saleswoman answers indifferently. - If you don't want it, don't take it.

Meanwhile, the issue is important. Experts say that retail prices for red caviar began to fall in August of this year. The first to fall in price was allegedly pink salmon caviar. In terms of production volume, it predominates in the Far East; in our market, its share of all salmon species is 73%.

Here, in August it fell by 2% compared to July. But, judging by today's retail prices, it went up again in September...

In general, we are used to seeing a rise in prices for this delicacy before the New Year, when Russians traditionally decorate the holiday table with at least one jar - many do not have enough money for two.

In December 2024, all buyers clutched their hearts at the prices of red caviar. It should be noted that today they have practically not changed - although what is the demand for it in the summer?

At the end of last year, experts explained the record prices for red caviar by the fact that 2024 was a “poor harvest” for salmon. Indeed, in 2024, the catch was 3.5 times lower than in 2023. And for prices to go down, it is necessary to catch 3.5 times more in the current 2025.

And the chances of such a result, if we are to believe the experts, were quite real. The fact is that evolutionarily it has developed this way: the salmon generation in odd years (2025) is significantly larger than in even years. This is confirmed by statistics. In 2024, the fishing season was 235 thousand tons, and in 2023 - 608 thousand tons.

However, in this odd year, something went wrong – at least if you believe the price tags in the stores.

Executive Director of the Fish Association Alexander Fomin does not know where the 41% increase in the price of red caviar came from. He says that today's retail prices are at the level of the end of 2024.

- Putin will be finished by the end of September, - he explains, - now the catch of this year and the remains of previous years are on sale. However, there will be no significant increase in red caviar in 2025, the catch is about 30% higher than last year's result.

- Wait, but a year ago experts predicted a very high salmon "harvest", because that happens every odd year. And you say that it's only 30% more...

- Ten years ago, ichthyologists predicted a decline in the salmon population. There are many reasons for this, including global warming, and today fishing companies are moving further north. There are practically no more of these fish left on Sakhalin and in Primorsky Krai, and Kamchatka is the only one that helps us out.

- What does global warming have to do with it?

- Climate change has an adverse effect. Salmon is a cold-water fish. It lives in the ocean and spawns in rivers. These waters have been warming up a lot in recent years and salmon are becoming uncomfortable. In addition, part of their food supply is being eaten by warm-water "competitors". This is the reason for the decrease in catch volumes.

- So, there is no reduction in the price of red caviar in sight?

- Its main volumes are still in the fishing areas, in the Far East. We expect mass delivery to the capital region at the end of September. As a rule, a new price is formed during this period, red caviar is the cheapest. However, now we should not expect that its price will drop significantly. The situation is better than last year, but only slightly.

- And what about the New Year's excitement and the rise in price of the delicacy again?

- Red caviar is a special product. If divided by the country's population, each consumes on average less than 100 grams. And for some reason we must buy it for the holiday table. This causes a sharp increase in demand. The world understands that salmon, due to objective reasons, is becoming less and that it would be necessary to stop harvesting so that its populations can grow. Our fellow citizens have a different mentality - not a single holiday is complete without red caviar.