Raising Sturgeon in Israel

November 24, 2008

In the past, the Caspian Sea was the world’s main source of sturgeon. However, over-fishing and pollution have led to dwindling yields in the region. Sivan and Hurvitz began rearing the fish eight years ago when they brought fertilized sturgeon eggs to Israel from the Caspian Sea.

However, it takes eight to fifteen years for the female sturgeon to reach puberty and start producing eggs, while male sturgeon reach puberty after four or five years. Before the age of four, it is impossible to tell the gender of the fish. In order to determine this, an endoscopy is routinely carried out on the fish every year. Once the gender of the fish is determined, they are separated. Male sturgeon are sold as fish on the market, while the female sturgeon are kept to produce caviar.

The average female sturgeon can produce US $3,000 worth of caviar. This is proving to be big business for Kibbutz Dan in the north of Israel, where 40,000 sturgeon are now being reared in outdoor pools. Managing director of Caviar Galilee Yigal Ben-Tzvi estimates that by 2010, the company’s annual revenues will reach US $7.3 million. While there is significant demand for caviar in Israel among the country’s sizeable Russian population, the intention of the producers is to market the fish for export to Europe and North America.

Sturgeon—and hence caviar—is not generally considered to be kosher, due to the fish’s lack of scales. Kosher fish must have both fins and scales. However, Sivan, who has undertaken similar fish-rearing projects in Uganda and the Palestinian Authority, suggests otherwise. “If you ask me, it’s kosher! I can even prove it has scales,” she says, insisting that the sturgeon does, in fact, have tiny scales that can be viewed with a stereoscope.

Excerpts of an article by Rebecca Zeffert,
Hebrew University

 

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