WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEPTEMBER 2015 51 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 52) Processing Status In 2006, the Hangzhou Qiandao Lake Sturgeon and the Dragon Xunlong Co., Ltd. exported 0.5 t of caviar, marking the first cultured caviar export from China. Since then, exports have increased annually and the number of caviar processing plants has also increased (Fig. 4). At present, the production of caviar is around 40 t (Fig. 5). Canned goods produced from sturgeon by the Hubei Tianxia Xunye Co., Ltd. have been supplied to the market in batches since 2003. Moreover, meat products, including semi-finished, finished and smoked products, as well as medical and health products, cosmetics, industrial glue, leather and other valueadded products have appeared in China in recent years. Difficulties and Problems The rapid rise of production has caused problems and growing pains that are mainly problems associated with markets, similar to the development of the global salmon farming industry. Sturgeon aquaculture in China faces international competition, improper domestic consumption and technological barriers that result in no profit (breakeven) or negative profit (loss). The caviar market is the most important in the sturgeon industry. The international caviar market has been weak due to the global economic crisis, while the domestic caviar market has been strongly affected by new policies of the Chinese government. The price of exported caviar has rapidly declined, from US$ 800/kg to less than US$ 400/kg (Fig. 5). The price of whole fish declined from US$ 65/ kg to US$ 4/kg (Fig. 6). Secondly poor management has resulted in inbreeding. Hybridization without knowledge about growth performance of the hybrids has greatly affected the efficiency of sturgeon farming and increased the prevalence of disease. Furthermore, the escape of farmed sturgeon to the Yangtze River represents a potential risk to endemic sturgeon species. Moreover, Chinese consumers prefer to buy live sturgeon swimming in a tank. This consumption preference limits the market and wastes sturgeon resources because the popular size of live fish is only 1.0-1.5 kg, which represents the juvenile stage of a sturgeon. Therefore, the domestic sturgeon market in China was always limited. At present, value-added processing of sturgeon products such as smoked meat and leather products has appeared in China, but the production technology for most products is at an experimental stage. The consumer market for these products needs to be expanded. Future Prospects To overcome these difficulties, besides enhancement of aquaculture technique development, wide popularization and application, we need development of new markets for sturgeon meat and caviar, aided by government guidelines and promotion by professional associations, including the China Sturgeon Association and associations related to marketing, processing, cooking and e-commerce. The establishment of the China Sturgeon Industrial Alliance on 6 May 2015 is good news. Over 30 participants witnessed the signing ceremony. Sturgeons produce a wide diversity of products. We propose the idea or concept of “the right products for the right people.” Two key measures should be taken into consideration soon: • Establishment of a labelling or marking system using QR codes and PIT tags to track all animals through production and processing and, • Establishment of standards or technical manuals for transport, processing, farming and breeding. TOP, FIGURE 4. Kaluga Queen caviar processing plant in Xuzhou, Zhejiang Province. MIDDLE, FIGURE 5. Export of cultured sturgeon caviar from China between 2006 and 2014. BOTTOM, FIGURE 6. Annual sturgeon production and price in China, 1998-2014.
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