Sturgeons are among the most ancient fish species on Earth and are critically threatened. Aquaculture for caviar and meat production raises important welfare questions for these long-lived, physiologically distinctive fish.
Sturgeon aquaculture presents unique welfare challenges arising from the extraordinary lifespan of these fish. Unlike salmon or tilapia farmed for months to a few years, caviar sturgeons may live in captivity for 20-30 years before production. The welfare obligations this creates are substantial: conditions that cause chronic low-level stress over decades, rather than months, represent cumulative suffering on a different scale. The development of non-lethal caviar extraction techniques represents a genuine welfare improvement by eliminating the need to kill fish at peak production age. Water quality management for these cold-water, oxygen-sensitive fish is critical; temperature excursions and oxygen depletion cause acute physiological stress. The relative lack of welfare research for sturgeons compared to other farmed fish is a significant gap that the growing caviar aquaculture industry should prioritise addressing.