2006 was the year of the caviar ban in the Caspian Sea. During that time we saw the rise of American caviar including the veneration of the paddlefish as the new future of caviar. We even compiled a list for how to survive without Caspian caviar. Now the UN has lifted the caviar ban, publishing quotas for five countries -- Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. A decision of beluga, the most expensive variety, has been delayed. The sturgeon is still in peril but the countries are allowed to sell 96 tons of caviar in 2007 which is just 15 percent below the 2005 level. It's great news for caviar junkies and for the countries bordering the Caspian Sea but it is most likely depressing news for the American and European caviar producers who have enjoyed the increased attention and business over the past year.Posts with tag beluga
Caviar Ban Lifted
2006 was the year of the caviar ban in the Caspian Sea. During that time we saw the rise of American caviar including the veneration of the paddlefish as the new future of caviar. We even compiled a list for how to survive without Caspian caviar. Now the UN has lifted the caviar ban, publishing quotas for five countries -- Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. A decision of beluga, the most expensive variety, has been delayed. The sturgeon is still in peril but the countries are allowed to sell 96 tons of caviar in 2007 which is just 15 percent below the 2005 level. It's great news for caviar junkies and for the countries bordering the Caspian Sea but it is most likely depressing news for the American and European caviar producers who have enjoyed the increased attention and business over the past year.Caviar Ban Lifted in Iran
Good
news for caviar lovers. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has given Iran
approval to export caviar from wild sturgeon again. Other Caspian Sea nations are still out of luck. CITES approved
exports of up 44,370 kilograms (around 97,000 pounds) of caviar from Iran provided that the eggs cover from Persian
caviar, the only species which is not in dire straits. Beluga sturgeon is still banned. Other Caspian Sea nations
including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan failed to produce sustainable quota proposals before a
meeting deadline and so they will likely remain under a ban for the rest of the year.Luxist Guide To Beluga Caviar Alternatives
We've done a lot of coverage of the
ban on caviar that comes from areas where the sturgeon is endangered. While caviar from Russia, Iran and other
protected areas is still available, caviar lovers are beginning to cast their nets wider. Here we take a look at some
of the more intriguing options from sturgeon, to paddlefish and even seaweed-based caviar substitutes. Sterling Caviar: One of the best options coming out of California. At Sterling Caviar they raise the fish themselves, waiting patiently eight to ten years for the harvest. Their large farm has an inventory of thousands of sturgeon which are fed a high-protein, balanced diet and monitored for their health. Sterling comes in three versions, classic, royal and imperial, which is the best of the batch and costs $60 per ounce.
Cavi-Art
Since the ban of the beloved beluga, other caviars and
caviar alternatives have been attracting more attention. Cavi-art has the appearance of caviar but there are no fish
eggs involved. The caviar substitute, which is made from seaweed, is from Denmark and is fat-free, lower in
sodium and inexpensive ($5.98 for 3.5 ounces). According to the Chicago Sun-Times, chefs have been using it as
a garnish but like Soy Kaviar, it's not really a substitute
for the real thing. Cavi-Art comes in black lumpfish, red lumpfish, yellow lumpfish and red salmon caviar flavors.
Former Sewage Plant To Become Caviar Farm
As we have mentioned, caviar harvested from wild
sturgeon has been banned. Those who
wish to get into caviar production are starting to create caviar farms. But what sort of place is large enough to hold
400 Siberian sturgeon? How about an old sewage plant? Ananova reports that a former sewage plant near
Zurich,Switzerland will be home to a new fish farm. The plant has been cleaned and the fish eggs won't be ready for
harvesting for eight years by which time the stink should have faded.The Caviar Ban Goes Global
A few months ago the United States banned beluga caviar now the
New Scientist reports that the worldwide trade in wild
caviar has banned. The major caviar-producing countries were unable to prove to the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (CITES) that their stocks of wild sturgeon are sustainable. The ban does not apply to farmed
sturgeon. A 30% decline in wild sturgeon stocks in 2004 led to the ban which will affect Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro and Ukraine.The hope is that a ban on caviar will help
save the endangered fish and stop illegal poaching. Countries that want to export sturgeon products have to show that
their catch and export quotas don't put fish in peril. Importers are responsible for making sure their imports are
legal and have to have registration systems for processing and repackaging caviar.
