How much banning is needed? (part II)
June 28, 2010
(Click here to read the first part)
Back in April I wrote a post about a mere rumour, that the Caspian Sea border states are planning to ban sturgeon fishing for the duration of ten years. This proposal is to be seen under the fact, that all five border states failed year after year to agree on export quotas in order to conserve the already fast dwindling sturgeon stocks. Since the last two years there is an export ban on all black caviar from the Caspian Sea.
(Of course this doesn’t mean one can’t find any wild caviar these days. There is. But the delicacy has to be smuggled or two and a half years old…Either way, no reassuring reasons to spend your money as it could be a label fraud, rotten goods or an unintended act of supporting a crime organization.)
The possible future ban on sturgeon fishing was earlier mentioned to endure ten year, then only five. And now it seems that the bar was raised up to fifteen years. But with the slow maturation rate of the sturgeons in mind (the females take up to fifteen years to reach fertility) this would mean – at best – to maintain the current stocks instead of populating growth.
A fifteen years ban? For some a bold attempt. For most simply not good enough. Triple the years and the sturgeons in the Caspian Sea could maybe have a bright future.
But even if such a ban could come into existence, it would not solve the problem of lack of control and corruption (the Caspian Sea is a very vast place!) and the high risk of pollution that comes with oil drilling. And all three put the sturgeon where he is today: on the edge of the abyss.
For all wild caviar lovers who want to ease mind & palate, head for premium farmed caviar.
Read original article.
Oil drilling in the Caspian
June 24, 2010
In the aftermath of the current disaster taking place in the Gulf of Mexico one might ask what would be the scale of event if something similar happened in the Caspian Sea? The worlds biggest inland body of water and home of aprox. 80% of the worlds sturgeon populations?
The threat in the Caspian due to Oil drilling is nothing new of course. I posted some articles pointing out this issue (click here and here).
The outcome would of course be nothing else then catastrophic. But one doesn’t need to go so far. Even today we know for a fact, that the natural ressources of the Caspian Sea is under heavy bombardment. The combination of poaching, overfishing, lack of control, corruption, oil and gas pullution, wastewater sewers, hidroelectric power plants, etc. lead to a worse then hideous picture. Its pure shame.
The stories about high toxic metals such as arsenic, mercury and copper around the coastline of the Caspian Sea, harming not only the soon to be extinct sturgeons and seals, but even more importantly the health of its coastal human population, speak in a crystal clear manner: The era of wild caviar is over. Full stop.
The future is premium farmed caviar. The future is ZwyerCaviar.
Related articles at:
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
Greate Lakes’ lake sturgeon revives its stock
April 28, 2010
Good news are scarce. Especially when it comes to ’sturgeon’. One very good reason to spread this one. The Greate Lakes’ lake sturgeon is coming back to live. It’s stock is getting bigger and bigger. That’s not due to a natural phenomenon but thanks to the strict spearing limits, poaching laws, restocking efforts and the well-protected spring spawning.
Read more!
All Russians eat caviar?
April 7, 2010
Of course not! Not only in the present face of sturgeon getting extinct, caviar has become quite scarce. Even back in the (glory?) days of the Tsars and more recently of the KGB, caviar was always accessible to the members of certain societal circles. Or ‘classes’, to stay in line with Marx. But of course, the current meteoric fall of the wild sturgeon populations in the Caspian Sea region doesn’t help fighting the ‘classy tradition’ of caviar and turning it into a general commodity.
According to a poll, only 17% of the Russians have bought and/or eaten caviar in the last 2 years…
Read original article.
How much banning is needed?
April 5, 2010
Last week I posted something about a rumour, that the Russians want to convince their Caspian Sea border states members to pass a 10-year fishing ban in order to restore the tiny sturgeon wild-stocks in the region.
Now, after I cheered to that for a while as a gone-mad-greenpeace-disciple, I had to make one step back and reflect about what actually hangs in the air. Let’s be clear, even if the direction might be right, a 10-year fishing ban doesn’t bring these critically endangered sturgeons to their well-deserved bright future. Because of their slow maturation – wild sturgeons lay their eggs at the age of aprox. 15 years old (depending the species) – some scientist suggest a ban of at least four decades to be effective! And there is just no way, that any fishing and/or customs authority (might it be legal or corrupt) of the bordering states is up and ready to sacrifice some additional pocket-$$$.
As far as I know, only the Japanese know how to follow plans that take 50 long years to play out. And I am talking about ‘A’ and not ‘B’ plans. I just dont see how the Russians (not talking about the rest) could manage such an undertaking.
And even if they would declare such ban, let me put it in the words of sturgeon expert and conservationist Phaedra Doukakis: “The challenge for Russia is the vastness of the Volga River Delta. It won’t just take this moratorium, it will also take a pretty good crackdown on illegal fishing.”
And about that ‘10-year ban rumour’ I mentioned, the latest that I picked up in the internet void was, that they reduced it to 5 years. Don’t act surprised…
Read original article.
Argentina’s quest for caviar?
March 29, 2010
Early in March appeared the news about a russian firm investing in an already existing and abandoned fish farm in the Argentine La Rioja province in order to raise sturgeon for its precious eggs.
It would take at least another 6-8 years before we see any caviar made in Argentina. And having the current market situation with increasing competition and crumbling prices in mind, I’m not sure whether this undertaking is bold or just something else…Fortunately for ZwyerCaviar, there is almost no branded high quality and ethically farmed caviar in sight.
Anyhow, here you can read the original article.
Burma starting with caviar industry?
March 27, 2010
Just stumbled over a pretty old newsflash about the burmese government looking for vietnamese fundings in order to build sturgeon aquafarms (besides salmon) in such possible locations like Putao, Myitkyina and Kanpaiktee.
After the strong market impact from Chinese sturgeon farms selling caviar, Burma could become another potential producer market, putting the price crumbling for caviar under continuing pressure.
Click here to read original article published in January 2010.
New era in fighting wildlife crime!
March 26, 2010
A glory day for all conservationists and environmentalists around the world!
Finally, wild life protection through international law enforcement agencies gets a higher priority!
Yesterday was the closing date for the 15th Conference of the Parties being held in Doha, Qatar and organised by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). There are flashing lights pointing into a new, better organised and more strict law enforcement era for bringing wildlife criminal to justice. Behind bars, where they belong. Aiming to introduce this era is the recently-formed International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC). Made up of the CITES Secretariat, INTERPOL, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Bank and the World Customs Organization. Wow!
Let me quote Willem Wijnstekers, Secretary-General of the CITES: “We are determined that there will be a level playing field and that a new era of wildlife law enforcement is introduced. An era where those who rob countries and communities of their natural resources will face a determined and formidable opposition. It is high time that more wildlife criminals end up behind bars, where they belong.”
Read full CITES press release: Bringing an organized response to organized wildlife crime
In addition to these measures, there seems to exist the rumor that the Russians want to convince all the Caspian Sea states to pass a respective general fishing ban in the entire Caspian Sea for the duration of 10yrs. Yes, that’s right. Not only for sturgeon species, but for all fish stocks. This would be the only realistic time frame so that the existing sturgeon wild populations could recover their stocks. Lets all cross fingers for that!
Sturgeons become the most critically endangered species!
March 25, 2010
This is BIG NEWS! The International Union for Conservation of Nature is putting sturgeon species on their Red List.
Following an extract from a recent press release from the IUCN:
Eighty five percent of sturgeon, one of the oldest families of fishes in existence, valued around the world for their precious roe, are at risk of extinction, making them the most threatened group of animals on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. The latest update of the Red List assessed the status of 18 species of sturgeon from all over Europe and Asia and found that all were threatened.
To read full article
中国欢迎Zwyer鱼子酱 – China welcomes ZwyerCaviar
February 24, 2010
After winning a gold medal Pentaward for our – meanwhile iconic – caviar cooling system called the Black Pearl, the Belgium packaging award jury is still doing its international roadshow.
After Paris, next stop is Shanghai – aka “the Paris of the Orient”. For all packaging enthusiasts staying in/near this restless futuristic city between the 30th and 31st of March 2010, I highly recommend a visit at the LUXEPACK exhibition, being held at the International Convention Center. The exhibitors list is quite impressive!
Recent Comments