Beluga (caviar)
Black Sea (FAO 37.4)
Net pens/ Cages
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There is little information on farmed beluga due to the lack of transparency and illegal fishing and trade. There is also much uncertainty about the origin of the fish feed used. For this reason, the section on source usage receives an orange score.
By breeding the fish in cagesCages:
A cultivation technique with open cages in the sea, lake or river. They are anchored to the bottom and are standing in places sheltered for storm and high waves. Most salmon is grown in this type of culture system. Because the cages are in open connection with the surrounding water, the impact on the environment is high., the ecosystem is indirectly seriously affected by a concentrated quantity of excrement. In addition, this fishery has a relatively high incidence of farmed fish escaping. If these farmed fish mix with its wild counterparts, reproduction takes a serious risk. Furthermore, this species is susceptible to diseases and the chances of diseases spreading is high. The section impact on the environment receives a red score.
In the Black Sea, there are good regulations to protect the ecosystem and wild sturgeon populations from possible negative impact by the farms. Several incidents show that the enforcement of these regulations is not sufficient. The management component is scored orange.
The final assessment for this species is red. We advise to avoid consumption of caviar from the beluga sturgeon and to choose alternative fish.
Fish in season
This assessment concerns farmed fish. Therefore, the season is not important.