Happy Birthday André Jaeger!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our good friend and brand ambassador, legendary Michelin star-spangled chef André Jaeger, is currently enjoying some intercultural treats in the Middle East, while celebrating his birthday.

Coincidently, his business liaisons over there created a birthday cake, using our – meanwhile famous – Black Pearl. The multi-awarded chic caviar cooling receptacle.

*Raising glasses* Here’s to one of the greatest chefs in Switzerland. We salute you and wish you a great stay!

Looking forward to some gourmet indulgence this very Easter.

 

Ambassador: Holger Stromberg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Holger Stromberg ZwyerCaviar found a highly reputational, influencial and committed brand ambassador for the german market.

Mr. Stromberg is well known through his professional role as the only designated chef for the german national soccer team. His catering company “Catering Stromberg” is a heavy weight player in big scale events throughout Europe. Back in 1994, when only 23 years old, he became Germany’s youngest Michelin star chef – ever.

We are proud to have him on board. Not only as an ambassador, but as the pleasant and purely authentic person he is perceived by.

Click here for his latest communiqué about ZwyerCaviar (in german).

 

 

ZwyerCaviar wins 4 awards!

 

(words from the President and CEO of ZwyerCaviar LLC)

 

 

 

Introducing ZwyerCaviar at the Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne

 

They name it right: “There is only one Ecole hotelière de Lausanne”.

 

The other day it was my pleasure to give school director, Mr. Rochat, and several of his staff member an insight into the world of ZwyerCaviar. After my presentation the gentlemen and true masters in their field of work could enjoy a sample tasting of some of our products. It was also an interesting meeting during which several future cooperations have been discussed.

Following some snapshots from the presentation and caviar tasting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ProClima certification

 

As ZwyerCaviar LLC is following its ambitious action plan to get “the greener the better”, I want to share this with my fellow readers.

As in 2009, back in 2010 the entire operation got climat neutral via compensatory tickets. It’s not about acting voluntarily but rather acting responsable. We are not seeking shoulder taps, but rather looking for a common ground, a mutual understanding regarding values.

With MyClimate and ProClima we found competent and reliable partners.

ZwyerCaviar is dispatching all their parcels within Switzerland via railway and overnight, a service coordinated by the Swiss Post. And as ZwyerCaviar takes part in its ProClima projects, we get to offset our consignments, which by how the railway runs, already are quite eco responsible.

Now, this compensation was invested into a project called “Prony and Kafeate Wind Farms” in New Caledonia and generates 50 jobs. For more information, pls check this link:

 

 

 

“Sturgeons (…) couldn’t handle mankind.”

Read about what sturgeon researcher Matt Balazik has to say about these fossils.

Ban over wild caviar ended! Death-stab?

For the ones working in the caviar industry, that’s of course old news. On July, 23rd CITES published the new export quotas for caviar coming from the Caspian Sea. This is big. After the 5 bordering sea states didn’t come to an agreement over export quotas in 2006 and in 2009, which led to an export ban for these two years, this time they came to a consensus.

A total of 81 tons of black caviar will be allowed to enter the international market. 3 tons of the highest prized beluga, 17 tons of sevruga and 61 tons of oscietra. In comparison to 2008, this means only a reduction of 5 tons in total (or 6%).

This decision might generate some shaking heads, as the rapidly declining sturgeon wild stock in the Caspian Sea isn’t exactly ‘in line’ with this decision. Furthermore I’ve to add, that even if these new export quotas (related to the fishing season from March 2010 until February 2011) show a tendency downwards regarding the amount of caviar, it is nothing but a silly move. Natural wild life protection is something else.

I understand, that there has to be a business ($) in order to protect it. Imagining a 10-year export ban? It would lead to a prosperous poaching, exceeding todays reality. But thinking about corruption and short-sighted greedy interests I can’t see nothing good in this. At least not for the highly sought after females. This decisions means in other words: As we are not capable to fight against poaching and corruption significantly, so let’s at least earn some money over the last sturgeons there are and make sure it ends in our pockets.

I share the opinion with Ellen Pikitch, executive director of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University, saying: “It’s ludicrous to allow any fishing. The quotas should all have been zero for all of these species.”

My guess is, there won’t be enough wild stock to reach the maximum quotas in the first place. My hope is, that consumers got used to high premium farmed caviar and give these wild fossils a break. A long one! But than again: the biggest margins lie in wild caviar. No need to comment…

Hopefully one day CITES changes from a solely regulating authority to a controlling one. Will this come too late?

Further links:

International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development

Official CITES press release

Reuters

Greate Lakes’ lake sturgeon revives its stock

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!

How much banning is needed?

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.

Learn about the important work of Phaedra Doukakis and Ellen Pikitch. Both of them, sturgeon experts.

New era in fighting wildlife crime!

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!

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