Sturgeon aquaculture for caviar production has replaced some wild harvest but raises welfare concerns around long holding periods, egg extraction methods, and slaughter.
Farmed sturgeon welfare involves challenges across their unusually long production lifecycle. Water quality management over multi-year grow-out periods, appropriate stocking densities, and social environment management must be maintained consistently. The shift from lethal to non-lethal egg stripping represents a significant welfare improvement for individual animals and allows continued reproductive contribution. Long-lived fish with demonstrable cognitive complexity deserve welfare consideration proportionate to their sentience evidence. Consumer preference for certified farmed over wild caviar supports both conservation and potentially better welfare outcomes.