Let Them Eat Cake

4 January 2006



International Caviar Trade Banned

The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora [CITES] has ordered a halt to the international caviar trade. The exporting countries haven’t provided necessary information on sturgeon stocks to allow proper quotas to be published, so for now, no more caviar exports. Imbibers of champagne or iced vodka will have to find something else on which to nibble for a while.

CITES is responsible for the protection of all kinds of beasties that are in danger of dying out. It deals with elephants, falcons and the protection of mahogany wood. In the case of Caspian Sea sturgeon, from which caviar comes, “The 169 member countries of CITES have set strict conditions for permitting caviar exports. Countries sharing sturgeon stocks must agree amongst themselves on catch and export quotas based on scientific surveys of the stocks. They must also adopt a regional conservation strategy.”

“The Secretariat is concerned that the proposed quotas [for 2006], while lower than for previous years, may not fully reflect the reductions in stocks or make sufficient allowance for illegal fishing. Countries wishing to export sturgeon products from shared stocks must demonstrate that their proposed catch and export quotas reflect current population trends and are sustainable,” said CITES Secretary-General Willem Wijnstekers. “To do this they must also make full allowance for the amount of fish caught illegally,” he added.

Where this may all come to naught is when borders aren’t crossed between the boat and the dining table. Nations that harvest caviar for domestic consumption have no duty to CITES to regulate their domestic consumption. Local demand can result in over-fishing just as surely as foreign demand, and the sturgeon wind up just as endangered.

Of course, the situation is not entirely without hope. Aquaculture, or sturgeon farming, offers a way forward, if not out. Wild caviar versus farmed caviar is a debate only the hard-core roe-chewers will find interesting. For everyone else, it offers a more sustainable source. Best of all, farmed caviar is not affected by the CITES ban. Now, about the taste . . . .


© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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