What Fish Does Caviar Come From? The Source & Origins of Caviar

What fish does caviar come from, and how many kinds of sturgeon are there?

Sturgeon caviar comes from the sturgeon, a group of about 25 to 27 species and subspecies of the Acipenseridae family. This incredible fish is found naturally across the Northern Hemisphere, and it is now farmed globally for its caviar and its meat.

What Kind of Fish Does Caviar Come From?

In short, the caviar fish is the sturgeon: caviar is the salt-cured fish eggs of about 10 species of sturgeon, plus their hybrids. A handful of them make up the bulk of the market for these eggs, famous for their astronomical prices, taste and perfectly shaped pearly beads.

Although historically found in the wild in Russia, Europe, Asia and North America, these endangered species are now farmed in almost every corner of the globe for their delicious and precious eggs. According to the European Union's market observatory (EUMOFA), the main farmed species are Siberian, Russian, white, Beluga, Kaluga, starry and sterlet sturgeon, and China has developed a Kaluga hybrid that is more cost-effective to raise.

Sources: IUCN Red List 2022 assessment, FishBase, and Bemis, Findeis & Grande (1997).

Different caviar from different species

Further, different species produce caviar of different colours, textures, sizes and quality, with the most prized being the famous Beluga, Kaluga, Osetra and Sevruga.

Colour, texture and taste can vary even within the same species, depending on factors such as the age and size of the fish, its habitat and feed, and how the eggs are processed.

Moreover, hybrid (crossbreed) sturgeon have been gaining popularity on farms, where they can combine the best traits of both parents. Some of the most common crosses are Amur x Kaluga, widely farmed in China, Bester (Beluga x sterlet) and Siberian x Amur. You may also have read about the "sturddlefish", a cross between a Russian sturgeon and an American paddlefish created by accident in a Hungarian lab and reported in 2020. It is a scientific curiosity, not a source of caviar.

Egg sizes and colours are from CaviarHub's product specifications where we carry the type. Natural colour varies from fish to fish.

For tasting notes, prices and pairings for each one, see our guide to the different types of caviar.

Caviar from close relatives to the sturgeon

Although not real caviar by technical definition, the fish roe of a few relatives and look-alikes of the sturgeon is frequently labelled as caviar. Their eggs are very similar in shape, size and taste to real caviar. In the United States, it must be sold under the name of the fish, as in "paddlefish caviar".

The paddlefish is a true cousin of the sturgeon, in the same order (Acipenseriformes). Since the Chinese paddlefish was declared extinct in 2022, the American paddlefish is the only one left. The bowfin, on the other hand, is not closely related to the sturgeon, but its small black eggs look the part.

Where Does Caviar Come From?

For centuries, most of the world's caviar came from wild sturgeon in the Caspian and Black Sea basins. Even the word itself has Persian roots: it most likely comes from khāviyār, meaning "egg-holding". Overfishing and poaching took a heavy toll: wild sturgeon catches collapsed from about 31,800 tonnes in 1977 to 222 tonnes in 2018, according to EUMOFA, and all sturgeon trade has been regulated under CITES since 1998.

Today, nearly all caviar comes from farms. In 2020, the world farmed about 123,500 tonnes of sturgeon, 84% of it in China. Farms raise sturgeon for meat as well as caviar: EUMOFA estimates that about 20 tonnes of sturgeon meat are produced for each tonne of caviar, and the skin, cartilage and swim bladder also find uses, from leather to gelatine and isinglass.

Each country tends to farm its own mix of species. In Italy, white sturgeon makes up about 47% of production, Russian sturgeon 28% and Siberian 23%, while France farms almost only Siberian sturgeon.

Canada has its own sturgeon too. In Quebec, wild lake sturgeon from Lake Saint-Pierre is harvested under strict management, and farms raise white sturgeon in British Columbia and Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon in New Brunswick. Looking to buy? See our guide on where to buy caviar in Canada.

The Different Types of Sturgeon

Like most animals, sturgeons come in several species. The sturgeon family, known scientifically as the Acipenseridae, has about 25 to 27 species, depending on how scientists classify them: the IUCN's 2022 assessment covered 25, while FishBase now lists 27. All of them produce eggs that can be made into caviar.

Interestingly, sturgeons are amongst the oldest living fish. Their lineage first appeared in the fossil record about 200 million years ago, in the Early Jurassic, so their ancestors once shared the planet with dinosaurs.

Although most species are not farmed for caviar, we've put together this infographic and a complete list of the different types (species) of sturgeon found around the world, with their conservation status.

Status from the IUCN Red List 2022 assessment. Some scientists now place several species in different genera (for example Acipenser huso for the beluga); the names above are those used in the caviar trade and by CITES.

That is 17 critically endangered species out of 25, which makes sturgeon one of the most threatened groups of animals on earth. Poaching for wild caviar, dams that block their spawning rivers and pollution are the main threats.

What Does a Sturgeon Look Like?

Sturgeons are easy to recognize. Instead of ordinary scales, they carry five rows of bony plates called scutes along their bodies, and four whisker-like barbels hang in front of their mouth. They use them to find food on the river or sea floor, eating crustaceans, worms, molluscs and small fish.

Most species live in the sea or in large lakes and swim up rivers to spawn, returning to the river where they were born. A few spend their whole lives in fresh water.

Sturgeons also grow big and live long. The Atlantic sturgeon can reach about 4.3 m (14 ft), 360 kg (800 lb) and 60 years of age, while the beluga, the largest of all, has been recorded at up to 3.2 tonnes and 118 years. That long life is also why they are slow to produce caviar: in the wild, females of many species take more than a decade to mature, and on farms it takes at least 5 to 10 years. Learn more in why caviar is so expensive.

How to Tell Which Fish Your Caviar Came From

Every legal tin of sturgeon caviar carries a CITES code that tells you exactly which fish it came from. The code lists, in order: the species, the source (W for wild, C for captive-bred or farmed), the country of origin, the year of harvest, the processing plant and the lot number.

Here are the species codes you are most likely to see:

Hybrids combine two codes with an "x": the code of the male parent first, then the female. For example, SCHxDAU is a hybrid of an Amur sturgeon father and a Kaluga mother.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fish does caviar come from?

Real caviar comes only from sturgeon, a family of about 25 to 27 species. The most famous are Beluga, Kaluga, Osetra (Russian sturgeon) and Sevruga (starry sturgeon).

Is caviar always from sturgeon?

True caviar is. Eggs from salmon, trout, lumpfish, capelin (masago) and other fish are fish roe, often sold as "red caviar", but not real caviar.

What fish does Beluga caviar come from?

From the beluga sturgeon (Huso huso), the largest sturgeon, native to the Caspian and Black Sea basins. Wild beluga is critically endangered, so Beluga caviar today comes from farms. It does not come from the beluga whale, which is a mammal. Learn more in our Beluga caviar guide.

What fish does black caviar come from?

Black caviar is another name for sturgeon caviar, as opposed to red caviar from salmon and trout. It comes from sturgeon such as the Beluga, Russian (Osetra), Siberian and white sturgeon.

Is caviar fish eggs?

Yes. Caviar is the salt-cured eggs (roe) of the female sturgeon. All caviar is fish eggs, but not all fish eggs are caviar.

Does caviar come from sharks or whales?

No. Real caviar comes only from sturgeon, which are bony fish. Beluga caviar is named after the beluga sturgeon, not the beluga whale, and whales are mammals that do not lay eggs.

What fish does Osetra caviar come from?

Mainly from the Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), also called the Danube or diamond sturgeon. Persian sturgeon caviar is also sold as Persian Osetra.

How many species of sturgeon are there?

About 25 to 27, depending on the classification. The IUCN's 2022 assessment covered 25 species; FishBase now lists 27.

Are sturgeon endangered?

Yes. In the IUCN's 2022 assessment, every sturgeon species was threatened, 17 of 25 were critically endangered, and the Yangtze sturgeon was extinct in the wild. That is why nearly all caviar today is farmed.

How old is a sturgeon when it produces caviar?

It depends on the species. In the wild, females of many species take more than a decade to mature; on farms, it takes at least 5 to 10 years before a female produces caviar.

Do they kill the sturgeon to get caviar?

Usually, yes: most caviar comes from fish that are humanely killed. Some farms use no-kill methods, such as gently massaging out the eggs after a hormone treatment, or surgery, and return the fish to the water.

How can I tell which fish my caviar came from?

Check the CITES code on the tin. Its first three letters identify the species, such as HUS for Beluga, GUE for Russian sturgeon (Osetra) or BAE for Siberian.

Key Takeaways

• Caviar comes from the sturgeon family of fish (Acipenseridae), with about 25 to 27 species.
• Caviar is the salt-cured eggs of sturgeon; eggs from other fish are fish roe.
• Most of the world's caviar comes from about 10 farmed species and their hybrids.
• 17 of 25 sturgeon species are critically endangered, and the Yangtze sturgeon is extinct in the wild.
• Nearly all caviar is now farmed, with China the largest producer.
• Wild caviar is mostly illegal or limited by strict quotas under CITES, and every legal tin carries a CITES code that names the species.

This guide was reviewed by CaviarHub and updated in October 2026. Species status comes from the IUCN Red List, production data from EUMOFA, labelling rules from CITES, and egg sizes from CaviarHub's product specifications.

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