Historically, 90% of the world's caviar supply has come from the Caspian Sea. The Soviet Union and Iran managed this fishery by producing and stocking tremendous numbers of fingerlings to mitigate the regulated harvest, poaching and losses due to pollution and habitat degradation. The breakup of the Soviet Union resulted in a precipitous decline in sturgeon fisheries and caviar production. The availability of farm-raised sturgeon and caviar in the marketplace will help reduce the fishing pressures on these already-depleted wild stocks.

Caviar Processing

Current caviar processing techniques are steeped in tradition and have changed little in the past 100 years. The success of the Florida sturgeon/caviar industry will hinge on the consumer acceptance of farm-raised caviar. Caviar quality and price is based on egg size, flavor, texture and color characteristics. At Mote, we believe that each of these characteristics can be enhanced through the pre-harvest husbandry and post-harvest processing practices. Our research efforts include developing techniques to modify these practices to produce a better tasting, safer product that has an extended shelf life.