CAVIAR: ROE PROCESSING MANUAL

FOREWORD

1.0 CAVIAR PRODUCTS
1.1 INTRODUCTION
1.2 THE WORD 'CAVIAR'
1.3 LABELLING PRODUCTS
1.4 CANADIAN ROE RESOURCES
2.0 ROE
2.1 OVARIES
2.2 MATURITY
2.3 YIELD
2.4 FROZEN ROE
2.5 GRADING FRESHNESS
2.6 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
2.7 EGG STRUCTURE
3.0 SCREENING
3.1 SCREENING OPERATION
3.2 SCREENING TECHNIQUE
3.3 SCREENING DEVICES
3.4 MECHANIZED SCREENING
4.0 SALTING
4.1 PRESERVATIVE ACTION
4.2 THE SALTING MECHANISM
4.3 SALINITY
4.5 CURING EFFECT
4.6 SALTING TIME
4.7 SALINITY MEASUREMENTS
4.8 DRAINING, EGG VISCOSITY AND VISCOSITY MEASUREMENTS
5.0 PACKING
5.1 FREEZING AND REFRIGERATION
5.2 BULK AND RETAIL PACKAGE
5.3 PACKAGE TYPE
5.4 CHEMICAL PRESERVATION
5.5 ADDITIVES AND DYES
5.6 PASTEURIZATION
5.7 PACKAGING OVERVIEW
6.0 QUALITY AND SHELF-LIFE
6.1 QUALITY GRADING
6.2 ORGANOLEPTIC TRIALS
6.3 DEFECTS
6.4 CHEMICAL AND BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS
6.5 SHELF-LIFE
6.6 QUALITY CONTROL AND ASSURANCE
7.0 THE CAVIAR SHOP
7.1 LAYOUT AND MECHANIZATION
7.2 PLANNING A SALMON CAVIAR OPERATION
7.3 WATER QUALITY
7.4 SALT QUALITY
7.5 BRINE PROPERTIES
7.6 BRINE MAKING REQUIREMENTS AND APPARATUS
7.7 SALTING TANKS
7.8 MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS, INSTRUMENTS AND MECHANISMS
7.9 SANITATION
8.0 PROCESSING DIFFERENT SPECIES
8.1 HARVESTING LUMPFISH ROE
8.2 PROCESSING LUMPFISH CAVIAR
8.3 WHITEFISH AND OTHER ORDINARY FISH
8.4 STURGEON FISHERIES
8.5 PROCESSING STURGEON CAVIAR
8.6 SALMON FISHERIES
8.7 PROCESSING SALMON CAVIAR
8.8 ARTIFICIAL CAVIARS

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8.0 PROCESSING DIFFERENT SPECIES

8.4 STURGEON FISHERIES

Commercial sturgeon fisheries in Canada are practically extinct. Except for the Caspian Sea fishery, sturgeon fisheries barely exist throughout the world. This is the result of stock over-exploitation during the 'caviar rush' at the turn of the century. In the last dec-ade, other factors such as hydro construction on rivers and pollution greatly contributed to this decline.

The dramatic collapse of the sturgeon fishery is a matter of biology. Sturgeon, unlike salmon, spawn several times during their lifetime. They mature and return to spawn for the first time when 10-25 years of age. That is why, if spawners (females with mature ovaries) are withdrawn from a particular population and unregulated fishing continues, that population is doomed to disappear.

Sturgeon represent one of the oldest groups of fish, they are in fact relicts of eras dating millions of years ago. Similar to salmon, they are anadromous, i.e. they are bom in freshwater, migrate to the sea and return to rivers for spawning. There are sturgeon spe-cies who are adapted to spend their entire life in freshwater bodies. The Caspian Beluga lives 70-80 years, spawns every 5-10 years (starting with age 17-20), and produces 200,000 to 2,500,000 million eggs. Beluga's weighing close to 800 kg are reported.

The white sturgeon spawns in pacific coast rivers from Alaska to San Francisco. Younger females return to spawn at intervals of 4 years, older females at intervals of 9-11 years. Egg numbers vary from 700,000 for a 35 Ibs. female to 3-4 million in the lar-ger females. They may live up to 100 years. In the Fraser River, females mature at 26-34 years of age.

It is difficult to find sturgeon fishery and caviar processing statistics. Information from different sources is often contradictory. Table 8-2 characterizes the world's sturgeon fisheries in 1979 -1988 (Soviet sources). Table 8-3 shows the potential caviar process-ing resources of Russia and Iran taken as -5% of the sturgeon catch.

TABLE 8-2

WORLD STURGEON CATCH IN TONS

CO-UN-TRY	YEAR
CO-UN-TRY	1971	1972	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1988
USSR	19,100	20,400	24,958	26,322	26,697	26,452	25,704	25,570	18,470
Iran	2,400	2,200	1,801	1,578	1,429	1,496	1,450	1,500	1,700
U.S.A.	700	700	553	246	148	360	321	321	314
China	Not available								300
Canada		100	133	128	163	131	129	79	30
Ruma-nia	200	200	65	61	39	70	64	76	17
Total World Catch	22,400	23,800	27/646	28,459	28,526	28,558	27,718	27,582	21,440

TABLE 8-3

POTENTIAL STURGEON CAVIAR PROCESSING, IN TONS

COUNTRY	YEAR
COUNTRY	1971	1972	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1988
USSR	850	1,020	1,200	1320	1,330	1,320	1,280	1,270	923
Iran	120	110	90	80	70	75	70	75	85

The dominant species in the Caspian Sea fishery are Beluga, Osetra and Sevruga. Other fisheries are the Black Sea (-1,000 tons), Siberian freshwater bodies (-100 tons) and Amur River (-70 tons). The Amur is the only place in the world inhabited by Kaluga sturgeon. Figure 8-6.

FIGURE 8-6: Sturgeons

a & b) Kaluga, , Astrachan Museum, Russia
d) Sevruga, Ural Amur River, China
c) Record size Beluga River, Kazachstan

Potential Canadian commercial fisheries sturgeon species are: the white sturgeon in B.C., the Atlantic sturgeon in New Brunswick and the lake sturgeon (Manitoba lakes and the Great Lakes).

The dynamics of the sturgeon fisheries in the Caspian Sea can be seen in Table 8-4. The decline in the valuable Beluga catch may signal bad news for the sturgeon caviar indus-try. The decline in the sturgeon commercial fishery in B.C. can be seen in Table 8-5. Between 50 and 90% of B.C. sturgeon are caught in the Fraser River, the remainder is a bycatch in salmon gillnet fisheries. Similar declines can be observed for each and every Canadian water body where sturgeon were commercially fished in the past: Nelson River (Manitoba), St. Johns (New Brunswick). These reported landings do not include sports fishermen's catches and native food fishing.

TABLE 8-4

STURGEON FISHERIES IN CASPIAN SEA

YEARS	TOTAL CATCH IN TONS	BELUGA IN % OF TOTAL CATCH
1899	23,810	27
1900	28,230	27
1901	35/390	24
1902	39,070	31
1903	39/230	38
1904	30,660	42
1905	26,630	47
1906	30,990	42
1907	27,540	39
1915	28,720	13
1917	7,290	28
1918	3,420	18
1924	8,740	18
1925	12,090	17
1926	13,500	20
1935	19/350	26
1936	21,460	30
1939	11,300	27
1940	7,480	21
1944	3,360	26
1947	9,370	18
1948	11,190	18
1952	12,810	10
1953	11,670	7
1960	10/140	11
1961	13,040	11
1962	19,330	10
1975	23,200	7
1990	13,600	8

TABLE 8-5

WHITE STURGEON CATCHES IN B.C.,
1880-1991 IN TONS

1880	36	1910	249	1940	7	1970	18
1881	32	1911	235	1941	10	1971	15
1882	36	1912	229	1942	4	1972	17
1883	181	1913