Beluga caviar Service to ban in 2005 the importation of beluga caviar which originated in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea basin. In 2006, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) suspended all trade made with the traditional caviar-producing regions of the Caspian and Black Seas (Beluga, Ossetra and Sevruga), (Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine) due to the producing countries' failure to apply international regulations and recommendations. Caviar from Iran is exempted from the ban. Iran is considered by CITES to practice effective conservation and policing of its fisheries. In January 2007,
USS Sterlet (SS-392) gun. On 31 October, she made a night surface attack on a tanker previously damaged by and apparently sank it with a spread of six torpedoes. "Sterlet" then joined "Trigger" in escorting the damaged into Saipan. From there, "Sterlet" put to sea on 10 November with six other submarines in a coordinated attack group. On the night of 15 November, she, "Trigger", and engaged in a gun duel with an enemy sub chaser. "Sterlet" completely depleted her supply of five-inch (127 mm) shells in the battle and was forced to sink the enemy craft with torpedoes early the following morning.