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A sample of white sturgeon fry. (Photo: Conicyt)
Sturgeon bred in captivity
CHILE
Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 22:40 (GMT + 9)
After 15 years of failed attempts, white sturgeon were spawned in captivity in Chile on 15 November.
The project was undertaken under the framework of the Fund for the Promotion of Scientific and Technological Development (FONDEF), financed by National Commission for Scientific Investigation and Technology (CONICYT) and headed by the aquatic investigator and academic of the University of Los Lagos, Juan Carlos Uribe.
This iniciative could signal the beginning of an economic “reign” similar to that which Chile enjoyed with salmon, reports El Mercurio.
The project required an investment of CLP 384 million (USD 756,400). The aim is to reach industrial production of sturgeon meat, and to begin to commercialise the high-in-demand caviar.
“After 15 years of having these specimens here, they managed to be bred,” says Uribe.
“This is what was missing with this species. This project is interesting for Chile for the value which caviar and sturgeon meat have, but also because the species is one in extinction,” Uribe went on to say.
“[Now] a commercial level can be reached,” adds Uribe, who was also one of those who anticipated the commercial success of salmon.
Each kilogram of caviar can be worth between USD 1,000 and USD 2,000, and a sturgeon can weigh up to 200 kg.
The harvest of this product begins when the sturgeon reaches a weight of 10 kg.
“The proportions are roughly one kilo of caviar per ten kilos of fish. With that, one realises why its such a good business,” concludes Uribe.
By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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