In a new film, WSC’s Guido Rahr travels deep into the Russian Far East, to the land of taimen.

Siberian taimen, the ancient, long-lived, oversized cousin of salmon, still reign in a dwindling kingdom of cold, undisturbed rivers in the Russian Far East. Roughly half of these watersheds are beyond the reach of even the most intrepid scientists—buffered by roadless expanses of larch, Korean pine, northern hardwoods, and spruce that have survived the illegal logging that feeds a voracious global appetite for wood in recent decades.

Journeying there is like going back in time. 

Now, “River Tigers” a new 14-minute film from Wild Salmon Center and our production partners at MaserFilms and Yonder Content, takes you to one of the crown jewels of Russian stronghold rivers: the Tugur.  

“River Tigers” held its world premiere at the 2020 Banff Mountain Film Festival, and has been featured at events including the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and the Fly Fishing Film Tour.

Watch “River Tigers” from Wild Salmon Center on Vimeo.

The film follows WSC CEO Guido Rahr, longtime Russian partner Mikhail Skopets, and businessman and lodge owner Alexander Abramov on their early sojourns to the river, their attempts to unlock the mysteries of its mighty fish, and their more recent efforts to protect the place among the harsh realities of life in the Wild West of the Russian Far East. 

“River Tigers” is about the passions and the unlikely friendships that drive conservation in this last frontier. 

It’s a trip to one of the last truly wild places on Earth.

And it’s about the thrill of the hunt.