Caviar & Conservation
Read MoreThree pieces of fossilized bone with a sample of rock from the same site where the fossils were found. The bones are presumed to be Sturgeon or a close relative dating back to the Miocene Epoch (approx. 23.03 to 5.333 million years ago), a time of warmer global climates. Photographed at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
Settlers at the original James Fort used gill nets to fish for sturgeon in the James River. No nets survive but the lead weights used to sink the nets do. These three weights along with much more would be attached to the bottoms of the net with floats on the top to suspend the nets. This is the same technique used today to catch sturgeon.
Fertilized eggs, hours away from hatching, are constantly in motion in a special tank that will allow the newly-hatched Sturgeon to swim up and into a larger holding tank. Each egg is about the size of a pinhead. Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar, along with meat and caviar production, contribute to international re-stocking programs. Germany and Poland have international programs to re-stock the Baltic sea with Sturgeons from the Saint John river stock, produced in Acadian Sturgeon and Caviars hatchery. ASC exports fertilized eggs and larvae and collaborates with research institutes on Sturgeon rehabilitation in Europe.
A tank of juvenile sturgeon at Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery. These fish will either be sold to research organizations or kept at the hatchery to be used by local institutions to test various tags and other procedures that might be too risky to try on wild fish. Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery
permit number 17367Michel Bélanger, the Hatchery Manager at the Carters Point Fish Hatchery in Canada operated by Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar, lifts up a juvenile Shortnose Sturgeon. Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar raises Shortnose in captivity for meat and caviar production. They have become one of the foremost authorities in Sturgeon aquaculture and strive to match the quality of wild-caught Sturgeon.
Justin Vine returns an Atlantic Sturgeon to a holding tank at the Bears Bluff Fish Hatchery on Wadmalaw Island, SC, after injecting an experimental oviduct acoustic transmitter into the fish.
In utilizing this technology, he hopes to better track spawning Sturgeon as they make their way to spawning grounds.
(Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery permit number 17367) photo: Christopher DowellTwo Atlantic Sturgeon placed in a holding tank at the Bears Bluff Fish Hatchery on Wadmalaw Island, SC, after being injected with acoustic transmitters. They will be watched closely to make sure the tags remain in place. (Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery permit number 17367) photo: Christopher Dowell
Father-and-son team, Billy and Billy Jr., heave a large Atlantic Sturgeon off to the side of the boat. Once the whole net is checked for more Sturgeon, Billy will probe the fish to determine its sex. Either they will find white gonads-- meaning it is a male, or nothing which means it is a female that had already made a spawning run and is returning to sea. If they find a roe (eggs), the fish will most likely be kept for processing. Every fish they catch is checked for previously inserted ultrasonic tags and measured. Billy and Billy Jr. will tag and release 30% of their total catch. Every fish's tag number and measurements will go into a database for research use.
Billy (left) and Billy Jr. (right) pull in an Atlantic Sturgeon while visiting Chef and Brand Ambassador Alex Tung (back) watches. Billy and his son use 13" gill nets to catch Sturgeon. The large net means there is essentially no by-catch (catching of non-target fish) and resulting in a high survival rate for sturgeon caught.
Billy attaches a "Keep Tag" on an Atlantic Sturgeon’s pectoral fin. Every Sturgeon caught that is designated for processing gets a purple tag with a number on it. Every batch of caviar, meat and other products can be traced back to a single fish if a reason should ever arise for something to be called back… or if a chef likes a certain batch from a fish.
Cornel Cheapa, the owner of Acadian Caviar in New Brunswick, Canada, processes a wild-caught Atlantic Sturgeon at his processing facility only 100 meters away from where the fish are brought in. Cornel and his wife handle the roe, all of the grey matter around the organs, and will clean and salt it for caviar. After the roe is taken, workers will process the rest of the fish for meat as well as the gas bladder, fins, tripe, and the skin if ordered.
Dorina Cheapa is the only one who processes the caviar at Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar. After Cornel brings the roe in from processing , Dorina separates the eggs from the ovaries on a special metal grate, washes them with ice water, salts the eggs and lets them dry for a short time on metal screens. Once that process is complete, she packs the caviar into tins varying in size from 30g to 1800g. The caviar then ages for a few months in a refrigerator before being sold.
A proper appetizer of caviar, with vodka to cleanse the pallet, is served before a Sturgeon feast is served at Acadian Sturgeon’s processing location for a visiting food reporter. The company is very open about all its operations and encourages people to see for themselves where the Sturgeons come from as well as sampling the products fresh.