By: Amanda Nichols, Ocean and Coastal Law Fellow, National Sea Grant Law Center
On February 24, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission is holding a public hearing in Baton Rouge to gather public input on a proposed plan to allow aquaculture of Russian starlet sturgeon. This species, currently banned in the state due to its non-native status, is highly profitable in the caviar industry, with its eggs fetching prices of nearly $100 per ounce. While cultivating these fish may prove economically beneficial, many in the state are concerned about the potentially disastrous consequences an escape could have on native species.
Critics of the plan worry that a non-native escape of the Russian sturgeon could compete with Louisiana’s four native sturgeon species for food and habitat. Two of these species in particular—the pallid and Gulf sturgeon—are both protected under the Endangered Species Act. Many critics also point to invasive, feral European pigs and Asian carp as examples of what can happen when attempts to farm non-native species go tragically awry. In response to these concerns, the state has composed a plan it hopes will mitigate the possibility of any live fish escape or egg release. First, the state would require aquaculturists to raise the sturgeon in recirculating, indoor pools or ponds located at least one foot above the 100-year flood elevation for that area. Second, water used in sturgeon rearing would have to be filtered and sterilized after use to avoid any unintentional egg releases. Third, the state would require fish farmers to pay a $1 million bond per farm to help the state cover the cost of responding to any fish escapes if such an event occurs. Finally, the state would require that a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) enforcement officer or other state-approved agent escort any shipments of live sturgeon within the state. These shipments would also be limited to approved routes which avoid hazards that could lead to accidental releases.
Despite these proposed safety precautions, many critics are not mollified. The state’s fisheries division of the LDWF has recommended that the Commission not move forward with any type of non-native sturgeon aquaculture, and has done so every time sturgeon aquaculture has been proposed in the past. Furthermore, other federal and state organizations—including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, Nature Conservancy of Louisiana, and the American Fisheries Council’s Louisiana chapter—all oppose the plan. Allowing aquaculture of Russian sturgeon in the state could also hurt wild caviar harvesters in the state—who currently source eggs from native species such as bowfin and paddlefish.
If successful, final approval for the plan could come as early as the first half of this year. If the plan does go into effect, only time will tell whether domestic cultivation of another non-native species proves profitable or, yet again, disastrous. More information about the public hearing and the plan itself can be found here.