Miscalculation Could Mean End of
Beluga Sturgeon Caviar 

New Scientist 17sep03

One of the world's most valuable fish could be driven to extinction because an international conservation body has miscalculated how many are left in the wild. So claim fisheries scientists who are warning that flawed science is behind a decision this month to allow continued fishing of beluga sturgeon, whose caviar can fetch $3000 a kilogram.

Trade in beluga and the caviar they produce is governed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. CITES believes that beluga sturgeon numbers are on the increase, reaching 11.6 million in 2002, up from 9.3 million in 2001 and 7.6 million in 1998.

Based on those estimates, it has sanctioned Russia, Iran and other nations bordering the Caspian Sea, the fish's last surviving stronghold, to harvest up to 155 tonnes of beluga sturgeon and export up to nine tonnes of caviar.

But critics say there may in fact be fewer than half a million fish left, and that raw data published by CITES itself suggests that the sturgeon population crashed by 40 per cent in 2002 alone. Continued fishing and trade in beluga caviar will only hasten the demise of the species, they say. CITES's approval also comes at a time when the US government, the world's leading importer of beluga caviar, is considering an outright ban.

CITES is standing by its assessment of sturgeon stocks. Following a crackdown on poaching by the Russian mafia, "the historical decline has been arrested, and populations have increased", claims deputy director-general Jim Armstrong. Countries bordering the Caspian Sea "are truly starting to turn the situation around", he says.

Trawling nets

CITES bases its assessment of beluga sturgeon numbers on statistics produced by the Caspian Fisheries Research Institute in Astrakhan, Russia's caviar capital. Russian researchers estimate beluga populations based on small survey trawls carried out each summer. The 2002 figure of 11.6 million fish is based on a total research catch of just 56 beluga.

The Russian calculation assumes that for many of the trawls, either 24 fish, or 10 fish, escape the path of the trawl for every one caught in the net. The difference depends on the size of trawling net used.

But Ellen Pikitch of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Washington DC, which is pushing for a ban on beluga caviar, claims that standard models used by UN and US fish researchers usually assume that at most one fish gets away for every one caught.

Apply that formula and the real beluga population could be less than half a million. If so, the rate of capture sanctioned by CITES means that "virtually all mature beluga sturgeon will fall prey to either legal or illegal fishing, leaving the population at greater risk of extinction", Pikitch says.

Armstrong says the validity of the demographic model used by CITES is justified by a scientific review written by Russian researchers. But a copy seen by New Scientist admits that "data on sturgeon catchability is very contradictory" and "scientists do not agree". The review also fails to cite any reference later than 1991.

Raw data

Pikitch says raw survey data published by CITES shows that the number of beluga caught in each survey trawl went down by 39 per cent in 2002, and the number of adult beluga appearing in rivers for spawning also fell. This contradicts CITES' estimates of rising numbers, she says.

"CITES is using unreliable data without any review by independent experts," agrees Vadim Birstein, a Russian sturgeon geneticist based in the US. "It is expecting us to believe they have performed a miracle."

CITES's optimism rests mainly on the belief that poaching, which once caught 10 times as many beluga as legal fishing, has been contained. A crackdown has "completely closed the illegal international trade", Armstrong says. But according to the Russian press, the police chief in Astrakhan has reported a 20 per cent increase in sturgeon poaching in 2003.

Beluga are also threatened by toxins in the Caspian Sea, where 80 to 90 per cent of the world's sturgeon catch is taken. According to research published in summer 2003, levels of DDT and PCBs in beluga are higher than in other sturgeon, and are sufficient to damage reproduction (Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol 46, p 741).

Behind the disagreement lies a difficult conservation dilemma, however. Beluga, like other Caspian Sea sturgeon, are largely cut off from their natural river spawning grounds by dams. Armstrong says around 90 per cent of beluga now come from artificial hatcheries, which are very expensive to build and maintain. So perversely, a total ban in international trade would stop the money that pays for the hatcheries, and might itself lead to the species' extinction, he says.

source: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994176 17sep03 

Report: The Decline of the Caspian Sea Sturgeon 

Caviar Emptor 4dec00

Executive Summary

Caviar. The very word evokes glamorous lifestyles, exotic travel and glittering festivities. Yet the world's source of this luxury item, the sturgeon, is in grave danger. Sturgeon have survived since the days the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The question now is whether these "living fossils" can survive the relentless fishing pressure, pollution and habitat destruction that have brought many species of sturgeon to the brink of extinction. Today, the 27 species of sturgeon and their close relatives, paddlefish, are in sharp decline, and those living in the Caspian Sea, the cradle of world caviar production, are in crisis. This report outlines the status of Caspian Sea sturgeon and recommends actions needed to protect these imperiled fish.

Sturgeon are indeed remarkable fish. Clad in bony plates and equipped with broad snouts, some species of sturgeon live to be more than 100 years old and can grow up to 2,500 pounds and 15 feet-long. Like humans, many sturgeon species reproduce relatively late in life; some do not reach sexual maturity until the ages of 15 to 25. A single sturgeon can produce hundreds of pounds of roe, though the very largest fish are extremely rare today, following decades of overfishing. Sturgeon live in rivers, coastal marine waters and lakes in the Northern Hemisphere, and feed on bottom dwelling organisms such as worms, mollusks, small fish, shrimp and insect larvae. Sturgeon face six major problems:

Overharvesting: Sturgeon are the principal source of one of the world's most expensive and sought-after luxury goods -- caviar. The fish eggs, or roe, are collected from female sturgeon after they have been caught and killed. The global caviar market has placed a premium on sturgeon, prompting overfishing and illegal fishing, or poaching, around the world.

Illegal trade: Illegal trade of sturgeon and caviar exacerbates conservation problems. Sturgeon products, particularly caviar, are compact, easy to conceal, and extremely valuable. A number of sturgeon-producing countries, most notably Russia, have experienced political turmoil over the past decade; as a result, black markets have flourished at the same time fishery management and enforcement programs have collapsed.

Life history characteristics: Sturgeon reproduce more slowly than other fish. They can take between six and 25 years to reach sexual maturity, and females of many sturgeon species reproduce once every three to four years. Therefore, sturgeon are vulnerable to overfishing and unable to recover quickly. In fact, depleted sturgeon populations may take a century or more to recover. In addition, their predictable migration patterns and bottom-feeding habits make them relatively easy prey for fishermen, who kill the fish to collect the roe.

Lack of Effective Management: Many sturgeon and paddlefish migrate through the waters of different states and countries, often resulting in a patchwork of catch levels, fishing seasons, size limits and other management measures. Many of the world's most imperiled sturgeon populations live in politically and economically unstable countries, further hampering effective management.

Loss of habitat: Sturgeon migrate up rivers to spawn. Dam construction, diversion of river water for irrigation and other purposes, and siltation of spawning and rearing habitats have nearly eliminated spawning runs on many large river systems used by sturgeon. Dams also alter river flow patterns, disrupting the natural signals that sturgeon rely on in their spawning migrations. Fish "ladders," intended to help fish surmount dams, generally have been ineffective for sturgeon.

Pollution: Pollutants from urban and agricultural runoff and industrial discharges have been linked to significant reproductive and other abnormalities in sturgeon, and to large fish kills.

Some U.S. and international measures are in place to protect sturgeon. Of the eight species of sturgeon and one species of paddlefish found in the United States, five species or subspecies are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Internationally, all sturgeon species are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), two under Appendix I (under which international commercial trade is prohibited) and the rest under Appendix II (under which international trade is allowed only with a CITES permit from the management agency of the exporting nation).

These measures are not enough, particularly for Caspian Sea sturgeon, which supply most of the world's caviar. Beluga sturgeon, the source of beluga caviar, is so depleted that it may no longer be reproducing naturally in the Caspian Sea region. To prevent extinction of this ancient fish and to prevent other sturgeon species from suffering the same fate, the Caviar Emptor Campaign, launched by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Wildlife Conservation Society and SeaWeb, has called for:

The campaign further recommends that consumers reduce their consumption of caviar and avoid beluga caviar altogether. If consumers do buy caviar, better choices include "aquacultured" caviar, North Star Caviar and Yellowstone Caviar.

Mindfully.org note: So-called aquacultured caviar are from farmed fish, and that is a whole other major problem. For more on that issue, search Mindfully.org for "FISH FARM."

Questions and Answers

Ancient and Endangered

Caviar from the rare beluga sturgeon is most prized by connoisseurs, 
but harvesting the expensive delicacy is threatening the prehistoric 
fish with extinction. Female beluga sturgeon do not produce roe 
until they are about 15 years old and may live more than 100 years.

Beluga sturgeon Huso huso

A = Sensory barbels used to locate the bottom

       Maximum weight: 2,860 pounds
       Sturgeon annually produce roe equal to 10% of their weight.

Beluga sturgeon are native to the Black and Caspian seas,
and spawn in the rivers that feed those bodies of water.

Beluga sturgeon are native to the Black and Caspian
seas, and spawn in the rivers that feed those bodies of water.

Beluga Caviar Imports in 2000

According to the latest available figures, the US is the 
world's largest importer of beluga caviar (in metric tons).

US has nearly doubled its imports of this caviar since 1998.

FRANCE 		0.9
SWITZERLAND 	1.2
GERMANY 	1.8
US 		14.9

source: World Book, Caviar Emptor, Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations, United Nations Environment
Programme—World Conservation Monitoring Center. 
Graphics reporting by Paul Duginski and Luke Simpson / LA Times
(undated).

source: http://www.caviaremptor.org/graphics.html

1. What is caviar?

Caviar is the eggs (or "roe") taken from female sturgeon, a "fossil" fish found in coastal waters, rivers and lakes of the Northern Hemisphere.

2. Where does caviar come from?

Most of the world's caviar comes from sturgeon of the Caspian Sea, an inland sea located between Russia and Iran. Three species of sturgeon produce most of the world's caviar: beluga sturgeon produces beluga caviar; Russian sturgeon produces osetra caviar and stellate sturgeon produces sevruga caviar.

3. What is the goal of the Caviar Emptor Campaign?

The goal of the campaign is to promote recovery of sturgeon, fish that supply the world with caviar, and increase consumer awareness of the problems facing sturgeon and other fish.

4. Why focus on such an elite product?

Caspian Sea sturgeon are emblematic of the major problems facing fish worldwide - overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution. In this instance, overfishing is fueled largely by the market for Caspian caviar, a luxury product no one really needs and for which there are a number of viable alternatives. Consumers should be aware that many other fish species are severely depleted. For more information, see www.seaweb.org, www.nrdc.org, www.wcs.org.

5. Is the United States an important consumer of caviar? Where does it come from?

From 1989 to 1997, the U.S. imported an average of 59 metric tons of caviar per year at an annual average value of $6.6 million, and ranked # 3 in overall caviar imports. Caviar from the three Caspian Sea sturgeon species dominates the U.S. caviar market. most caviar imported into the United States originates in Russia. The United States is the largest importer of beluga and Russian caviar. Imports of beluga caviar totalled about 28,000 pounds in 1999.

6. What are the problems with sturgeon?

Overharvest & Illegal Trade
Sturgeon are the principal source of one of the world's most expensive and sought-after luxury goods -- caviar. The global caviar market has placed a premium on sturgeon, prompting overfishing and illegal fishing or poaching around the world. A number of sturgeon producing countries, particularly Russia, have experienced severe political and economic upheaval in recent years, and black markets have flourished in the absence of effective enforcement.

Biological vulnerability
Sturgeon can take from 6 - 25 years to reach sexual maturity and females of many species reproduce once every three to four years. This means that sturgeon have fewer offspring over a lifetime than fish that reproduce at an earlier age and more frequently. So, it's easy to overfish a sturgeon population and difficult for the population to recover to a healthy level, particularly while overfishing continues.

Lack of Effective Management
Many populations of sturgeon and paddlefish migrate through the waters of different states and countries, often resulting in a patchwork of different catch levels, season and size limits, and other management measures. Many of the world's most imperiled sturgeon populations live in politically and economically unstable countries, further hampering effective management.

Habitat degradation
Dam construction and water pollution on sturgeon spawning rivers have seriously hampered the ability of sturgeon populations to reproduce in the wild.

7. What are you recommending ?

Consumers need to reduce their demand for caviar and particularly avoid beluga caviar.

Internationally, governments need to:

The United States government needs to:

8. What alternatives to Caspian caviar should consumers look for?

Better choices include the following:

North Star Caviar/Yellowstone Caviar: North Star Caviar is a joint venture of two non-profit organizations, the Williston (North Dakota) Area Chamber of Commerce and the Friends of Fort Union Trading Post. Just across the Yellowstone River the Glendive Chamber of Commerce runs a similar program, marketed as Yellowstone Caviar. During the six-week recreational paddlefish season on the Yellowstone River, recreational anglers are given free fish cleaning in return for donation of eggs to the Chamber of Commerce. The anglers keep the paddlefish meat and the Chamber of Commerce runs a caviar processing operation. Proceeds are used to fund civic, cultural, and educational community projects as well as to support further research on how to protect paddlefish.

Farmed sturgeon caviar: Few facilities in the U.S. are currently engaged in production of sturgeon, and fewer still in the production of caviar. Sturgeon aquaculture for commercial caviar is currently occurring only in California. It is said to most closely resemble the taste of osetra caviar. Farmed white sturgeon caviar is available from Sterling Caviar and Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, among others.

9. Are these really comparable alternatives? Don't chefs and food critics say there are significant differences in taste and quality between beluga caviar and farmed caviar?

Taste is a subjective matter and chefs want to appeal to discerning customers. There are differences among all caviar; the alternatives are comparable to the so-called "finest." most importantly, it would be in extremely bad taste to cause the extinction of a species through human consumption, particularly for a luxury item, that does not supply a significant protein source to a needy population.

10. How are these species already protected? How will your proposal go further?

All 27 species of sturgeon and paddlefish, including the Caspian Sea species, are listed under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). As a result, trade in the three Caspian Sea species is subject to labeling and reporting requirements. While important, these requirements are not sufficient to protect and restore beluga sturgeon, which is in danger of extinction. We recommend a halt to international trade for beluga caviar and more aggressive conservation actions to protect all Caspian Sea sturgeon.

In addition to CITES, 5 of the 10 species and subspecies of sturgeon and paddlefish in the United States are protected under the Endangered Species Act. We seek to list beluga sturgeon as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

11. What impact would listing beluga sturgeon under the US Endangered Species Act have?

The effect of listing beluga caviar under the United States Endangered Species Act will be to ban importation into to the United States of beluga caviar. The United States is the largest importer of beluga caviar and imported about 28,000 pounds of beluga caviar in 1999.

12.Which countries control Caspian Sea sturgeon fishing and caviar production?

Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Iran.

13. Why are you recommending an international trade ban on beluga caviar, but not caviar from the other Caspian Sea sturgeon?

Beluga are in serious danger of extinction. In order for other sturgeon species to avoid a similar fate, conservation action is urgent. Absent strong and effective measures to protect all sturgeon, trade bans for the other Caspian Sea species may become necessary in the near future.

14. Is the real problem poaching and if so, aren't you just punishing fishermen who are abiding by the law?

Poaching is a major problem, particularly for sturgeon of the Caspian Sea. Some of our recommendations will help support better fishery management and enforcement in the Caspian region, as well as in the United States. Major new resources are needed to support these efforts.

15. What is the significance of the Animals Committee meeting of CITES in December? What will happen there?

In December, the CITES "Animals Committee" (a scientific committee of experts from around the world) will convene to review the status of a number of species of sturgeon, including the Caspian Sea species. The Committee is expected to develop questions directed to the countries where sturgeon occur (the "range states") to determine whether international trade is contributing to the detriment of the species. The range states will have an opportunity to respond, and depending on the response, management and/or trade recommendations may be adopted.

16. Do you have to kill the sturgeon to retrieve the caviar?

Yes, although on some sturgeon farms have developed a method for performing cesareans, which allows caviar to be produced without killing the fish.

17. Will you take action on other sturgeon species?

For now we are focusing on the three sturgeon species of the Caspian Sea because they provide 90% of the world's supply of caviar. Our report also makes recommendations for the conservation of United States species that are commercially exploited for caviar.

18. What about caviar from Iran? Should consumers eat that?

The Iranian sturgeon fishery, which operates in the southern part of the Caspian Sea, is generally thought to be well-managed. About two-thirds of Iran's caviar production is osetra, most of which comes from a species of sturgeon known as Persian sturgeon which is native to the southern Caspian Sea. Only about 3% of the Iranian catch is beluga sturgeon. The United States began accepting imports of caviar from Iran last spring.

19. What about caviar from other countries like China and France?

We have not evaluated caviar production from these countries, so we can neither recommend for or against caviar from those sources.

20. Are there problems with aquaculture? Why do you recommend farmed caviar?

While there are environmental concerns regarding aquaculture, caviar derived from aquaculture is a much better choice for consumers concerned about endangered Caspian Sea sturgeon.

21. Isn't this just like the Give Swordfish a Break campaign? Have you just moved on to the next species and called for a boycott?

This campaign is part of a larger movement to increase awareness of the impact consumers' choices have on fish. Our aim is to give consumers the information they need to make better choices of more sustainable seafood.

22. Which other countries are significant consumers of Caspian caviar?

In addition to the United States, the European Union and Japan are major importers of Caspian caviar. There is also a very large domestic market for Caspian caviar in Russia.

source: http://www.caviaremptor.org/qanda.html 18sep03

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