Caviar trade to be watched, not halted

Emergency procedures to curb trade are declined.

By Times wires
Published June 20, 2007

An international endangered species conference in the Netherlands last week declined emergency procedures to curb the trade of caviar from the rare beluga sturgeon, but it plans to strengthen scientific oversight of the wild caviar trade in general.

Scientists and conservationists attending the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in the Hague on June 14 say the survival of overfished wild sturgeon now depends on the vigilance of importing nations (like the United States).

Dr. Ellen Pikitch, executive director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, says, "The good news is that a system has finally been established that will lift the veil of secrecy off the caviar trade."

Sturgeon scientists and conservationists estimate that the beluga sturgeon population has plummeted by 90 percent in the past three decades. Says Dawn Martin, president of SeaWeb, "Caviar connoisseurs can help save this ancient species by switching to farmed caviars . . . a better choice for the environment."

[Last modified June 19, 2007, 09:05:39]