The beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, capable of exceeding 5 metres in length and living over 100 years. It is native to the Caspian Sea, Black Sea, and their tributary rivers, though its range has contracted dramatically due to overfishing and habitat loss.
Beluga caviar — the salt-cured roe of this species — is among the most expensive foods on earth, historically commanding prices of several thousand dollars per kilogram. The roe is prized for its large, soft eggs and delicate flavour. This extreme value has been both the species’ economic significance and its near-undoing.
The beluga sturgeon is critically endangered in the wild. International trade in wild beluga caviar has been heavily restricted under CITES since the early 2000s. Most beluga caviar now available legally comes from aquaculture operations, though the fish’s slow maturation (females may take 15–20 years to produce eggs) makes farming extraordinarily capital-intensive.
How it's produced
Wild beluga sturgeon were historically caught in river systems during spawning migrations, particularly in the Caspian basin countries of Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. Overharvesting through the 20th century collapsed wild populations.
Farmed beluga sturgeon are raised in recirculating aquaculture systems or large outdoor ponds, primarily in Europe, the Middle East, and China. Because females don’t produce roe until they are 15–20 years old, aquaculture operations require enormous patience and investment. Some farms now use ultrasound to monitor egg development and harvest roe without killing the fish, though traditional caviar production involves slaughtering the animal.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for fish & seafood, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
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