In the breeding base, there are over 300 fish ponds, large or small in size, with plump black fish swimming in them. “These are sturgeons that have been raised for over 7 years, each weighing at least 10 kg. One of them has been raised since the establishment of the company in 2008, weighing a total of 150 kg.” Long Jixing, administrative manager of the company, said that the whole breeding base now has over 200 tons of sturgeons, including Siberian sturgeon, Russian sturgeon and hybrid sturgeon.
The living water temperature of sturgeon cannot exceed 25 degrees Celsius. Long Jixing said that the sturgeons here grow up in the water of Zixia Lake.
Zixia Lake has excellent water quality, sufficient water, relatively stable water temperature, with a temperature of more than 25 degrees Celsius all the year round, which is very suitable for sturgeon growth.
The county has a mild climate, abundant rainfall, and an average annual temperature of 16 degrees Celsius over the years. There are numerous streams and abundant water sources in the county, with a long history of aquaculture and 82 species of fish.
In 2023, the county’s aquaculture area was 210 hectares and the output of aquatic products was 2,200 tons.
The county is located in the hinterland of Wuling Mountains, with abundant cold water resources hidden in the rugged mountains. There are unique conditions for the development of caviar for the overall excellent water quality.
Sturgeon is known as “a living fossil in water”, and its ancestors lived in the same era as dinosaurs, with a long history of being cultured. The production process of caviar is completed manually with simple operation processes.
A staff sat next to the weighing machine and recorded the weight and roe weight of each sturgeon on the table one by one. She introduced that caviar is the salted roes of sturgeons. Each sturgeon needs to be raised for at least 7 years before it can reach sexual maturity and produce roes.
Roes weigh approximately 20% to 25% of a fish’s body weight, and a 10-kilogram fish can produce 2 to 2.5 kilograms of caviar.
Caviar is generally black in color and has high nutritional value. It is one of the representatives of high-end ingredients and an important ingredient in some luxury cosmetics.
In the past, due to low production and high prices, it was known as “black gold”.
In the refrigerator, 600 1kg cans of caviar are neatly arranged.
“These are about to be shipped to Japan.” Long Jixing said that 600 kilograms of caviar delivered not long ago made Japanese customers satisfied, so they placed an additional order of 400 kilograms.
“Our products have participated in international renowned seafood expos such places as Brussels in Belgium and Boston in the United States multiple times, receiving praise from foreign experts and consumers.
Next to large jars of caviar, there are also small cans of caviar with weights of 10g, 20g, 30g and 50g.
As of now, the company’s caviar has been sold to such countries as the United States, New Zealand and France, with an average export price of 500 to 600 US dollars per kg.
“This year, we cooperated with Metro Group to export caviar to the UK. 1,000 kg of caviar will be exported to China’s Hong Kong and Taiwan respectively. Now, the formalities documents to Hong Kong have been basically completed and caviar will be exported to Hong Kong soon, while it will be exported to Taiwan by February 2025 at the latest.”
It focuses on creating a premium brand of Huayuan aquatic products, and promoting high-quality development of modern aquaculture.
The county adopts models such as “company plus base plus farmers”, under which it provides seedlings, technical guidance, technical training, and product marketing services to surrounding areas.
Frenchina Sturgeon Caviar Co., Ltd. produces about 10 million sturgeon roes annually, supplying sturgeon fry to provinces and cities like Chongqing, Sichuan and Guangxi.
It radiates and drives the development of sturgeon and Schizopygopsis chengi in surrounding mountainous areas. It has been awarded the national demonstration project for poverty alleviation through technology.
Long Jixing said that the company’s annual net profit from selling caviar can reach 6 million yuan, while profits made from fish meat, fry, and feed can reach 6 to 7 million yuan.
Chinese source: hunantoday
