The problem of foreign “predation” (poaching) in the Far East of Russia in the late 19th - early 20th centuries is considered. Attention is paid to the activities of the Russian authorities (both local and central) to counter foreign poaching in the Far Eastern waters. The question is raised about the scale of this disaster for the economy of the region, as well as for the local fauna, a number of representatives of which were poached to the brink of existence. The relevance of the study is due to the need to summarize the material accumulated by historiography on this topic, and the current state of affairs in the region, for which the problem of foreign poaching is still relevant. The novelty of the research is seen in the attraction of new sources, including documents of the Russian State Historical Archive of the Far East, materials of the periodical press of the considered era, stenograms of the State Duma of the Russian Empire. It is proved that the problem of foreign poaching was one of the most urgent for the Russian Far East, and because of its scope caused significant damage to the economy of the region. The scale of the problem was recognized by the Russian authorities, who took a number of measures to eliminate it, but it was not effectively solved. It is shown that the main factors that weakened the effectiveness of the measures taken against poaching were the lack of human and material resources available to the local administration.