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Farmed Sturgeon

Sturgeon farming is now being under taken in at least 15 countries. Income for farmers is not restricted to the sale of caviar, as sturgeon meat itself has an international reputation for excellence. The varied restocking schemes in operation also require large numbers of sturgeon fry. Sturgeon farming has tended to start in countries which have either lost their native populations through over fishing in the past, or still have native populations but at worryingly low levels.

Farming sturgeon is not just good for the survival of wild sturgeon stocks, it is also extremely good news for the caviar fraternity. This is because under the controlled conditions of a sturgeon farm, fish are selected for quality from the egg stage up. The fish are generally protected from exposure to toxins which are an increasing hazard in many of their natural habitats. The largest strength of farmed caviar is that it has been harvested on the day when the eggs are in perfect condition; these eggs are then processed into caviar by experts under perfect environmental conditions.

The potential quality of wild caviar, has often been compromised in the past due to a number of important reasons - most fish, certainly in the 1990's were being poached by night-time fisherman working in a clandestine fashion, often lacking the vital skills in the art of caviar processing. This home made caviar then often suffered the travails of roundabout smuggling routes before finally arriving at its place of retail. 90% of the global trade in caviar during most of the 1990s was of this black market variety.

Most of the top caviar dealers now accept that the future caviar industry will be focusing on an ever increasing number of farmed caviar options. As sturgeon take such a long time to sexually mature, in order to develop a viable and productive caviar farm, a long and dedicated wait is required. This can stretch from 5 to 20 years depending on the species.

Both Iran and Russia have been releasing sturgeon fry from hatcheries into the Caspian catchment for sometime now, a program which appears to have been a great help. Countries which enjoy proximity to the Danube and Black Sea, such as the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary have been active in farming a range of species, most commonly the Sterlet.

Transmontanus is being farmed in its native California and in addition it is being farmed in Uruguay, Italy and Germany.

The French Caviar farms established in the 1980s decided not to farm their native species and instead plumped for the smaller and quicker to mature Siberian species- Acipenser baerii, which is now available under the label of "French Baerii".

China has probably been working on breeding sturgeon longer than any nation. It has two species native to the huge Amur River which it shares as a border with Russia. The largest species is the huge and slow to mature Kaluga which despite 50 years of work has foiled all attempts to breed it in captivity. They have had much more success with their smaller Amur Sturgeon (A. schrenki).

Other countries who are also engaged in sturgeon farming, either just to produce fry for others or to grow on themselves are Canada, Italy, Germany, Greece, Hawaii and Sri Lanka.

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