Did you know sturgeon is the only fish used for many types of caviar? A sturgeon is a large prehistoric fish with habitats in freshwater lakes, seas, and rivers globally. It’s considered a delicacy in the food industry and certain cultural traditions. Sturgeon is the primary caviar source not only for its meat and eggs but also for its scarcity, creating high consumer demands.
Due to their critical endangerment, sturgeons have been exploited with unstainable harvesting and farming practices, along with poaching in the illegal food trade market. These include overfishing in legal and illegal habitats and short-term breeding processes before female species sexually mature in captive-bred sturgeon farms.
Learn more about caviar sturgeon species and how the food trade must improve their industry standards to prevent sturgeon from extinction.
What Type of Fish Does Caviar Come From?
While there are many types of caviar, sturgeon fish is the only species used. Other caviar varieties include tobiko and escargot.
The Most Common Caviar Sturgeon Species
In addition to scarcity, sturgeon caviar is sought-after because it’s considered a high-end commodity in the culinary industry. Their eggs are used for caviar in various upscale cuisines, and their meat is known for its salty, earthy flavors.
Sturgeon is also a massive fish species, weighing up to 200 pounds and can reach up to 6.5 feet long—making it an attractive option for harvesting as more meat can be commercially produced. However, current sturgeon conservation laws need improvement, like global habitat restoration and long-term captive-bred sturgeon farm facilities, to reduce endangerment.
While there are 26 total sturgeon species, not all are legal to consume. Below are the five most common types of caviar sourced from sturgeon and their differences.
Beluga Sturgeon Caviar
Also known as Huso Huso, Beluga sturgeon is the rarest caviar sturgeon species because it’s the hardest to harvest legally and illegal to import into the U.S. While some areas are legal to fish them, Beluga sturgeon has become the most critically endangered sturgeon fish group since they have hundreds of pounds of meat and easy to capture.
For this reason, Beluga sturgeon caviar is the most expensive type and the highest in demand, with pricing up to $3,500 per pound. Their fish eggs are very large and firm, with colors ranging from light grey to deep charcoal tones.
Beluga sturgeons live in the Caspian Sea and often cross-bred with other faster-producing species, like Osetra and Kaluga sturgeon, to reduce their endangerment while meeting consumer demands.
Kaluga Sturgeon Caviar
Kaluga sturgeon is one of the most common species that are cross-bred with Beluga sturgeon to create hybrid caviar. These caviar fusions have helped reduce the pressures of sturgeon endangerment with sustainable caviar production practices.
Kaluga sturgeon habitats include the Amur River, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Sea of Japan. Their fish eggs are large and firm and range from light gold to olive green, with lighter shades considered the most rare caviar types.
Ossetra Sturgeon Caviar
Also known as the Russian or Persian sturgeon, the Ossetra sturgeon is also typically cross-bred with the Beluga sturgeon as they’re one of the faster-producing species.
Farmed Ossetra sturgeon mature earlier, from eight to 15 years, due to their controlled breeding environments, compared to the average 15 to 25-year wildlife maturation lifecycles. Their reproduction rates also range from two to four years, compared to the six-year average from other sturgeon species.
Ossetra sturgeon are native to the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Caspian Sea. Their fish egg colors are medium to large, with colors ranging from amber to gold, with lighter shades considered rare.
Sevruga Sturgeon Caviar
The Sevruga sturgeon comes from the Acipenser Stellatus sturgeon, also known as the “Starry” or Stellate sturgeon. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Stellate sturgeon start reproduction after six to 22 years, depending on the species and sex. Males spawn once every one to three years, while females are two to six years between reproductive bouts.
Their habitats are in the Capsian, Azov, and Black Seas, and are currently extinct in the Aegean Sea. Stellate fish eggs are small to medium-sized, with colors ranging from light grey to black shades.
With lengthy reproduction rates, Servuga is one of the most sought-after types of caviar due to its scarce availability.
Caviar Varietes and Substitutes
In addition to sturgeon, there are also other caviar fish types and substitutes consumed:
- Tobiko: A type of fish roe commonly used in sushi and harvested from Japanese flying fish. They come in various vibrant colors, including orange, green, yellow, red, and black.
- Escargot: Eggs harvested from various edible land snails that stem from French cuisine. They’re smaller, ranging from transparent to pale white, with some species having a cloudy pink.
- Vegan Couscous “Caviar“: There’s been a rise in vegan caviar varieties, like utilizing couscous, seaweed, and summer cypress seeds as substitutes.
Help Safeguard All Sturgeon Species by Supporting SIAA
At the Sturgeon Industry Alliance of America (SIAA), our mission is to protect the declining wild sturgeon populations and other impacted aquatic species while improving the caviar production of captive-bred sturgeon with sustainable practices.
By advocating for policy changes to combat illegal poaching and implementing responsible sturgeon farm industry processes, you can help conserve sturgeon wildlife and prevent them from becoming extinct.
Anyone can help make a difference no matter how much you become involved.
Become an SIAA member or donate today to help safeguard this vital fish species and support our critical mission.
