Very far from its classic haunts in the Caspian Sea, sturgeon for exclusive caviar productions is now bred in – the Abu Dhabi desert.
The project – the world’s largest recirculating aquaculture system for sturgeons, and the first in the Middle East – is being run by the German firm United Food Technologies AG. The farm spans some 61,000 square metres, and at full capacity the plant will yield 32 yearly tonnes of caviar and 490 yearly tonnes of sturgeon, unprecedented quantities in the business.
To shorten the production process of 4-4.5 years and allow the company to put forth its first caviar by the end of this year, mature fish are initially shipped in for farming. Thus, 140 tonnes of live sturgeon, or 22 fish, were imported from Frankfurt by sea and air in early April to start the process.
Due to overfishing, water pollution and the increasing demand for oil in the Caspian Sea, where many of the fish roam, 85 per cent of sturgeon species are classified at risk of extinction. Farming them thus appears to be the best way to satisfy the world’s demand for the fish’s caviar, the German company believes.