Farming sturgeon for caviar in B.C.
Open File, Posted by Michael Aynsley on Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Urban Diner tells us that Sechelt B.C. could become the caviar capital of Canada if a $5 million investment by the producers of Northern Divine caviar pays off.
What’s the plan? Sturgeon caviar. How? Farm sturgeon.
More than 10 years ago, a closed containment aquaculture operation called Target Marine (which normally produced salmon smolts for fish farms), began to explore the practice of farming sturgeon.
Target Marine received the original sturgeon stock from the Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, who recently had $5.25 million invested in a research facility to study the ancient fish.
From a Times Colonist article:
Knowledge gathered at the International Centre for Sturgeon Studies at Vancouver Island University is to help foster freshwater farming of the fish, which can live more than a century and tip the scales at 600-plus kilograms. While sturgeon are renowned for their caviar, their firm meat can command upwards of $11 per kilogram, Don Tillapaugh, centre director, said Monday.
The article goes on to explain the process:
Broodstock are fed two kilograms of stuffed squid daily in the summer, and the same amount every second day in winter, said Dave Switzer, sturgeon technologist. Females get extra hormones to induce ovulation and eggs are harvested in a procedure similar to a cesarean section for fish. "It is quite complex because the sturgeon will not release their eggs or produce sperm unless every condition is right," Switzer said.
The Urban Diner article explains the process at Target Marine:
The pens at Target Marine are high-tech fish tanks. The fresh creek water that flows-through these giant vats is constantly monitored, aerated and scrubbed of excess CO2 with the solid wastes being removed into a septic tank, eventually ending up as composted fish fertilizer.
When the fish reach 7 kilograms their sex is determined. The male sturgeons are used for meat and the female are left to mature so that they may produce eggs. That maturing process can take another 11 years, so it requires a considerable investment (both time and patience) to farm sturgeon.
Extracting the eggs is a delicate operation and requires a sterile environment. First the ovaries are removed, and rubbed on a screen to release the eggs. They are then rinsed, drained and then pure dry salt is added to the mix. Left to rest for approximately 1 hour, they are then graded by size, texture and colour. Right now there are 2 grades (small and large) with plans to increase the grades when the harvest grows each coming year.
For all that work there must be a considerable payoff... and there is. A 30 gram tin of caviar is sold for $99 and a 1 kilogram package goes for $2,860.
Target Marine Hatcheries has applied to the District of Sechelt for rezoning amendment that would allow them to process sturgeon for caviar on their facility which is in a residential area. There are noise concerns for some citizens, but according to a local paper, support for the operation is high. The application will be decided in the next municipal election on Nov. 19.
