A Brief History of American Sturgeon Caviar

In the late 1800s, the Hudson and Delaware rivers produced more sturgeon caviar than the Caspian Sea. American caviar, sold in barrels, was so abundant that bartenders served it free with beer.

The Boom

Between 1880 and 1900, U.S. exports of caviar to Europe reached extraordinary volumes — much of it relabeled as "Russian" once it crossed the Atlantic. The Atlantic sturgeon population, however, could not survive the harvest.

The Crash

By 1910 the wild fishery had collapsed. For most of the 20th century, "caviar" in America meant imported product, often inferior quality.

The American Revival

Beginning in the 1980s, U.S. aquaculture pioneers built sturgeon farms in California's Central Valley using river water and closed-system tanks. Today, American sturgeon caviar from sustainable farms equals or exceeds the best of imported product — and it travels a fraction of the distance to your table. Onyx & Pearl is part of that revival.