News & Views
Thai sturgeon hatchery supplies caviar to Asian markets

Asia’s growing demand for caviar inspired Thai businessman Nippon Khamsal and a Russian colleague to set up a sturgeon hatchery in Hua-Hin, Thailand. Five years on, the farm is stated to have a capacity of two tons of black caviar a year.

         The Thai Sturgeon Farm Co. Ltd. sells black caviar in Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Macao.

         It took over a year to build the sturgeon breeding complex and a year and a half to get the necessary approvals. The unit’s technology was developed by ichthyologists and engineers, including Dr Vasily Krasnoborodsko, described as “one of the most well-known fish-breeding specialists in Russia.”

         The technology uses caesarean-like surgery to extract the eggs at an optimum time, before they begin to become over-ripe and start to deteriorate in quality. The female die-off means that there needs to be a replacement equivalent to 10% of the female population.