We've cut back on beluga caviar consumption due to the threatened status of the sturgeon's, maybe a once or twice a year treat. Today is the last day that beluga caviar or meat from the Caspian Sea can be imported to the USA. Not allowed to bring any over the border with you either....

It's a good thing that we are taking steps to protect the sturgeon and a shame that they are endangered, will still miss the occasional treat. My wife is going to stop by our local purveyor to see if they have any left on the shelf and we have one of our last bottles of Jacques Selosse Blanc de Blanc Champange already chilled. Will need to travel outside the US to enjoy these again.

Hadn't realized that the US imports 3/5 of the world's supply, although maybe it shouldn't suprise me.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), give notice that we are suspending import of and foreign commerce in beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) caviar and meat originating in the Caspian Sea littoral states of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and Turkmenistan effective immediately.

This suspension includes shipments that have been exported directly from these countries, re-exported through an intermediary country, or transported as personal or household effects, and it prohibits foreign commerce in the course of a commercial activity. We are taking this action under the special rule that was promulgated to control the trade of threatened beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) (70 FR 10493; March 4, 2005). Interstate commerce in beluga sturgeon caviar or meat from the Caspian Sea basin that was legally imported into the United States before the trade suspension is not prohibited.

http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/05-19580.pdf

Cheers,
Jeff

. . .stocks of sturgeons are dangerously depleted, their native waters are now among the most polluted in the world, and they are extremely slow growing and slow maturing fish. If they are not to become entirely extinct drastic steps must be taken to limit consumption, as well as aggressive monitoring of environmental conditions, if the present very dire situation is not to become worse.

On a broader and even more depressing note stocks of fish are collapsing due to overfishing all over the world; stocks of oceangoing fish are predicted to drop as much as 90% over the next ten years if overfishing is not limited. Properly managed populations can recover- Chesapeake Bay crabs, and the codfish stocks are a case in point I believe- but the days of inexpensive and abundant stocks of wide varieties of fish are at an end and existing stocks must be carefully conserved if the species in question are to be harvested sustainably.

This, coupled with the presence of such high mercury levels in ocean going fish due to pollution that the FDA now recommends limiting consumption of ocean going fish to once a week or less, does not reflect very well on our custodianship of our resources, I feel bound to add. As my mother used to say, we can't have nice things, can we .

Jack

I wonder if the ban extends also to caviar and meat from sturgeons bred and kept in capitivity. I know that here in Italy there is more than one small business running this kind of actiivity, not sure about the States. See for example (commercial link - scratch the blanks)
http: //www.calvisius.com/english/caviale.htm

Jack's words are tragic and true - more interesting stuff on fish and fishing here

http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=//DOCREP/007/y5600e/y5600e04.htm@

Indiscriminate pelagic nets wipe the sea clear of life for a very poor return indeed. The tragedy of idiocy.


Amenon