While stocks shrink and fishing has increased rather than abated, official government figures show a collapse. In 1990, before the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia caught 7.8 million tons of fish. Four years later, official counts had fallen by more than half, to 3.5 million tons.
Gamov made many enemies after arriving on Sakhalin. He agreed with the Japanese authorities that Russian boats in Japanese ports must tighten reporting on their catches. He set up more control stations at sea. Through his lobbying, the Sakhalin regional prosecutor began investigating 44 Russian fishing vessels flagged in an audit by Japan.
"Gamov created a system that was closing the poaching flows in the direction of Japan," said Viktor Fokanov, a fishing company owner in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. "If you close the flow, poaching disappears. He knew how to do this, and he didn't have far to go."
In December 2001, Putin promoted Gamov, then just 39, making him one of the youngest generals in the Russian military.
The military had been his life. Even as a child growing up in a small town in Kazakhstan, Gamov was drawn to the army. His sister, Galina Spiridonova, recalled that he had led his school team to victory in a war game.
Those who knew Gamov socially said he was outgoing, liked to play the accordion in his spare time, treated his men with respect and worked long hours.
But Gamov rose through the ranks of a system that had been deformed by economic crisis. After the Soviet Union collapsed at the end of 1991, the Russian government could no longer afford to finance its military. Units like Gamov's were plunged into poverty. They faced the impossible task of defending Russia's borders without funding.
As living conditions deteriorated, taking bribes was a way to survive.
Igor Barabanov, a lieutenant colonel on the Kurile Islands further out in the Pacific, served briefly under Gamov. He recalled lacking basics, like soap, and fruits and vegetables. Visiting superiors told him to "find yourself a sponsor."
"I was supposed to go to local businessmen and ask for financial support," said Barabanov, who now works as a security guard in the Primorsky region. "It was humiliating. Some of them would just give money. Maybe they had served in the army themselves once. But others would want things in return."
Most here say criminals from a mid-size fishing firm were to blame, since Gamov's murder was clumsy and amateurish, like a warning gone wrong. The authorities have arrested several men believed to be the hired killers but have not answered the question of who hired them.
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