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Ban on sturgeon fishing not affects production and prices

1 July 2015 17:01 (UTC+04:00)
Ban on sturgeon fishing not affects production and prices

By Aynur Karimova

The Caspian Sea has long been known as home to the world's best caviar, the most flavorful and elite food product in the world, and one of two Azerbaijani products that has a quality certificate from the European Union.

Known as a dish of peasants until the 17th century, Caspian caviar later became a course suitable for the Russian tsars and impressed European aristocrats for its taste and nutritious benefits.

Medical science has for some time touted the benefits of consuming fish and fish products, black caviar in particular. The food ration of each person should include fish and fish products along with other types of meat; many recommend that each person should eat 18-20 kilograms of fish and 150-200 grams of caviar per year.

The caviar of the sturgeons living primarily in Azerbaijani territorial waters in the Caspian Sea contains protein, fat, amino acids, vitamins A and E, and various micronutrients. Sturgeon caviar is therefore considered the world's best quality caviar.

For centuries, Caspian black caviar, a luxury export commodity, has been considered the world's most delicious food and delicacy. But for the last decade, the sturgeon that produces world-famous black caviar has been listed as an endangered species.

This ecological challenge has forced the five Caspian littoral states - Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan - to apply a ban on sturgeon fishing. They evaluate the ban annually when discussing the condition of biological resources of the sea.

In late May, The Caspian littoral states agreed to prolong the ban on industrial (commercial) fishing of sturgeon in the Caspian basin until 2015 and 2016.

Prices will not change

Vugar Bayramov, the Chairman of the Center for Economic and Social Development, who holds a doctorate in economics, believes that the prolongation of a ban until 2015 and 2016 will not adversely affect the production of caviar in Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan will continue caviar production within the quota set for it. Given the fact that caviar produced in Azerbaijan and exported to foreign markets has its own consumers, the export potential of [Azerbaijani] caviar is quite large. Thus, prolongation of a ban will not have a negative impact on exports of the caviar and the country will be able to maintain the current level of caviar export," he told Azernews on June 29.

Nariman Agayev, the Chairman for Research on Sustainable Development Center, shares the same opinion with Bayramov. He told Azernews that the recent prolongation of the ban of sturgeon fishing would not change the prices in local and foreign markets.

Currently, one kilogram of sturgeon caviar is sold for 2,200-2,500 manats on the black market, while prices in shops vary between 4,000-4,500 manats, according to research conducted by local media in mid-June.

Broiler method can prevent caviar lack

The recent agreement on the prolongation of a ban on commercial sturgeon fishing has forced zoologists to find a solution to the possible lack of caviar in domestic markets.

Ilham Alekperov, Director of the Zoology Institute, a corresponding member of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, believes reproduction of sturgeon in aquaculture conditions by the broiler method a way to solve this problem.

He told Azernews that this method is widely used worldwide.

"South America, Poland, Germany used this method long ago," he said. "By using the broiler method a 10-gram sturgeon will gain 2 kilograms in a year. If a sturgeon gains 2 kilograms in natural conditions in five years, this can be achieved within one year in aquaculture conditions," he said. "This method will provide the supply of the meat and black caviar of sturgeon to local markets, as well as organize the export."

This method is expected to prevent the poaching of sturgeon and its black caviar.

"If one can buy a sturgeon for 25 manats per kilogram, then nobody will buy poached fish in the market. Thus, the broiler method will solve the poaching problem as well," Alekberov noted.

Despite the fact that today, Azerbaijan enjoys breeding of bream, pikeperch and even trout in pond-like conditions, Namig Mustafayev, a member of the ANAS Zoology Institute, says "sturgeon breeding in pond conditions does not seem possible. Besides, production obtaining will take years. For this reason, entrepreneurs are not interested in investing in this field."

It is expected that the development of this sector will allow replacing low-quality fish products imported from abroad for local products, as well as increase the volume of export of Azerbaijani caviar.

Be careful when buying caviar!

Telman Zeynalov, an ecologist and Chairman of the Environmental Council under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, has urged consumers to be more careful when buying caviar in markets.

"Today, so-called real caviar is being sold in several specialized fish shops. It happens in this way: sturgeons and belugas are artificially cultivated in lakes, and then their caviars are extracted and sold. But this caviar cannot be called real, though it comes out of the fish," he said. "…since it is unknown what the fish are fed with, or what pills or vitamins are stuffed them. It is likely that they can be fed with GMO foods as well. Accordingly, such caviar cannot be considered real and of good quality."

Consumers should be careful when buying black or red caviar. It is important to take a jar of caviar and carefully read its composition. Typically, the caviar’s quality is noted in fine print. Grains of real caviar burst and contain a whitish clear liquid, while the grains of the artificial caviar are rubbery.

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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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