The sturgeon is an endangered species because of overfishing mainly for its caviar but also because it is an excellent fish to eat. It is found in the Black Sea and the Caspian and it migrates up the fresh water rivers to lay their eggs (roe). Here we see two mature specimens caught in the Danube.
Frederick the Great placed a number of them in the Garder See Lake in Pomerania about 1780; some of these were found to be still alive in 1866. Professor von Baer also states, as the result of direct observations made in Russia, that the Sturgeon attains an age of 100 years, but can live over 210 years.
The caviar of the sturgeon is the most expensive. Currently, the dwindling fishing yields consequent to overfishing and pollution have resulted in the creation of less costly, though popular, caviar-quality roe alternatives from the whitefish and the North Atlantic salmon.
The harvest and sale of black caviar have been banned in Russia since August 1, 2007. The ban extends for 10 years, but scientific research and the artificial breeding of black caviar fish are exempted.
Labels:
beluga caviar,
black caviar,
russin caviar,
sturgeon
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