Sturgeon

Acipenser, Huso spp.

2: Best Choice How we work out the ratings

What to check for

Location

All areas

Production method

Closed system, RAS

Rating summary

It is unlikely that you will find sturgeon meat for sale in the UK, you are most likely to find farmed caviar available. As wild sturgeon are so depleted, farmed caviar is a good choice. With sturgeon farming there is no dependence on wild fish for broodstock as all fish are bred in hatcheries. Farmed sturgeon rely on a relatively high intake of fish meal and oil for the amount of protein they produce. The species is farmed in enclosed systems limiting the impact on the wider environment.Rating last updated December 2023.

Technical consultation summary

How we worked out this Rating

Sturgeon feed is thought to be responsibly sourced, although, it is a net consumer of protein.Sturgeon is a fed species, fed a commercial pelleted specific feed. The 2 feed manufacturers that produce a sturgeon feed have internal sourcing policies to ensure traceability of feed ingredients, marine and terrestrial, as well as responsible sourcing. Targets to achieve certification of marine proteins and oils, soya and palm oil as of 2021 are almost met. Specific, up to date, information on the feed requirements of sturgeon are difficult to obtain, however reports indicate that sturgeon require more protein that they produce. Protein production will depend on whether the sturgeon are kept alive post stripping and whether the meat is also consumed. However, there is no available data to assess the feed efficiencies of different harvesting approaches.

Sturgeon farmed in land based systems have a very low environmental impact.The production of sturgeon for caviar and meat takes place in many countries around the world including the UK. Farming occurs in land based production systems which comprise of ponds and tanks on land that either use a recirculation system or a flow through system adjacent to a river. As a result of these land based enclosed systems sturgeon production performs well in the ecological section – issues such as habitat impacts; discharges; parasite transfer; escapes and predator interaction are all limited by these systems. However, further information is needed to ensure that farm discharges and fish releases do not pose a disease risk. The sourcing of broodstock is not a concern as they are all farm raised as opposed to being wild caught, an issue that would be critical given the endangered status of many sturgeon species.

Global welfare and slaughter practices of sturgeon are unknown.As this is a global assessment and there are no certification standards that apply the issue of welfare and humane slaughter cannot be answered with any certainty and therefore has to be scored as data deficient.

Regulation of sturgeon farming is difficult to ascertain. This assessment would benefit from third party certification.The management and regulation of sturgeon farming is difficult to ascertain given the global nature of production and the lack of certification in this assessment. Despite this lack of information there is no publicly available evidence to suggest that sturgeon farming is having a wide spread adverse environmental impact, this is due to the land based enclosed nature of production.

References

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Bauer, O.N., Pugachev, O.N. and Voronin, V.N. (2002), Study of parasites and diseases of sturgeons in Russia: a review. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 18: 420-429. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0426.2002.00422.x

Biomar. Sustainability Report. 2018, Available online at: https://www.biomar.com/globalassets/.global/pdf-files-_en/biomar-group-sustainability-report-2018.pdf . [Accessed 02/07/2019]

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FAO 2022. Acipenser baerii. Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme. Text by Williot, P., Bronzi, P., Benoit, P., Bonpunt, E., Chebanov, M., Domezain, A., Gessner, J., Gulyas, T., Kolman, R., Michaels, J., Sabeau, L. & Vizziano, D.. Fisheries and Aquaculture Division [online]. Rome. Updated 2006-01-16 https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/culturedspecies/search [Cited Tuesday, November 1st 2022].

Gosławice, 2022. European leader in sturgeon and catfish breeding. Modern technology, environmental awareness, professionalism. Available at: http://ryby-goslawice.com.pl/en/aquaculture-2/ [Accessed on 1.11.22]

Guardian, 2016. Locals oppose plans for East Sussex's first caviar farm. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/09/locals-oppose-plans-for-east-sussexs-first-caviar-farm [Accessed on 2.11.22]

Hatchery International, 2019. Cargill introduces early rearing aquafeeds. Available at: https://www.hatcheryinternational.com/cargill-introduces-early-rearing-aquafeeds-3486/ [Accessed on 01.11.22]

IUCN, 2022. Search including: Acipenser sturio – Atlantic sturgeon, A. gueldenstaedtii - Osietra, A. baerii - Siberian, Huso huso – Beluga. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ [accessed on 21.10.22]

KCCaviar, 2022. From Hatchery to Retirement: Socially Acceptable Caviar Our Philosophy. Available at: https://www.kccaviar.co.uk/pages/our-philosophy [Accessed on 2.11.22]

Radosavljević V, Milićević V, Maksimović-Zorić J, Veljović L, Nešić K, Pavlović M, Ljubojević Pelić D, Marković Z. STURGEON DISEASES IN AQUACULTURE. AVM [Internet]. 2019 Sep. 12 [cited 2022 Nov. 2];12(1):5-20. Available from: https://niv.ns.ac.rs/e-avm/index.php/e-avm/article/view/34

Seafood Watch, 2014. Farmed Sturgeon, Land-based flow-through and recirculating aquaculture systems. Available at: https://seafood.ocean.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Sturgeon-Farmed-US.pdf [Accessed on 1.11.22]

UK Government, 2022. Fish, shellfish or crustacean farm authorisation. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fish-shellfish-or-crustacean-farm-authorisation [Accessed on 2.11.22]

York TV, 2017. Youtube, UK's first "no kill" sturgeon caviar farm. Available at: https://youtu.be/VjEitYBPR7Q [Accessed on 2.11.22]