Mature females key to beluga sturgeon survival

Hatchery fish unlikely to restore caviar-producing fish populations

Saving grown females first — not fry — is crucial to preventing extinction of the beluga sturgeon, suggests a new conservation assessment of the fish that’s been pushed to the brink by demand for its roe, known as black caviar.

ROE HARVEST Hatcheries breed beluga sturgeon and collect eggs from adult females (above).