How Sturgeons Where Able To Survive Dinosaurs , But Not Mankind.
|
Where Did The Caviar Go ?
|
Caviar comes in grades, sizes & prices . The most expensive is the Beluga caviar, followed by Ossetra caviar, then the Sevruga caviar . these come from Sturgeon in the Caspian Sea, such as Russian Caviar, Iranian or Persian caviar.
After the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991, other Countries got into Caviar production, both around the Caspian Sea & the Black Sea. Namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro and Ukraine.
Prior to that, the Soviet Union and Iran had the monopoly on Caspian Caviar , and that was good for the Sturgeons , because the Soviet Union restricted poaching and production was under the control of the government. Now poaching is rampant , goes unpunished and the waters are polluted mostly due to offshore drilling in some of these countries.
Caspian Sea Caviar is the most prized and is priced accordingly.
The Beluga Caviar is produced by the largest sturgeon the Beluga. It is the most expensive and is graded by its shade , the lighter the color of the roe, the more expensive it is . The color grading starts with 000 for the lightest in color ( golden greyish shade) known as Tzar Imperial Beluga, and is the most prized and expensive - to 0 being the darkest and less expensive. Beluga Caviar has a delicate buttery flavor and a distinctive aroma.
It takes 12 to 20 years for a Beluga Sturgeon to mature and start producing roe.
Ossetra Caviar comes from a smaller size Sturgeon and produces medium sized roe in grades that are similiar to the Beluga. 000 is highest quality and has a grayish color , and the darkest is 0.
Ossetra caviar is the favored caviar by most connoisseurs. It has a nutty and creamy flavor.
Sevruga sturgeon produces the smallest caviar . Sevruga has a subtle sweet and fine flavor.
The Ossetra & Sevruga Sturgeons take 6- 8 years to mature and start producing roe.
Did you know that it takes about 3 years after the birth of a Sturgeon to determine its gender.
Caspian Caviar Ban. Alternative Caviar. Future Outlook
|
Unfortunately imports and availability of Caspian Sea Caviar has come under several bans during the past 30 years , with the latest issued in January 2006 by the UN’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) , in an attempt to save the Caspian Sea Sturgeons from extinction.
The Caspian Sea region, used to supply well over 90% of the world's caviar, now finds itself with a sturgeon population down to 10% .
The different bans, led other countries to try and fill the gap. France now is a big producer of Caviar , but requires producers to pasteurize.
The US is now a producer to reckon with especially in Northern California
where the pre-historic White Sturgeon, a native of the Sacramento River is being farmed, and its caviar
caviar is sought after in the US & Europe. But production is still limited
Poachers have been targetting the white sturgeon in Northern California, but through operation “Delta Beluga” the authorities have been clamping on the poachers and the peddlers.
A prehistoric cousin of the sturgeon known as Paddlefish are producing caviar, and the Hackleback sturgeon in the Missouri & Mississippi River are producing caviarcaviar
I read somewhere once that the roe from paddlefish in Mississippi used to be fed to the pigs, mixing it with their slop. Then the bans on the Caspian Sea caviar started escalating in the 80s giving the paddlefish roe stature.
Now due to overfishing PaddleFish and Hackleback are being farmed.
Not too long ago, CITES has allowed Iran to export Caspian Sea Ossetra under a quota as Iran is complying with requirements . But extended the ban on the other Caspian region countries and sturgeons.
Iran seems to be enforcing strict punishment on poachers and are taking serious measures to save the endagered sturgeons from extinction , which resulted in CITES allowing Iran to export Ossetra Caviar under a quota .
So there is hope that the rest of the countries in the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea regions , namely Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro and Ukraine, will follow suit and enforce measures to protect this precious and pre- historic breed of prized Sturgeons that was able to survive dinosaurs, but not Man.
If you would like to comment, correct or see more facts added , please feel free to do so. |
