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Buying Imported Caviar: Guidelines
for U.S. Consumers
Beluga
Caviar
- The beluga sturgeon (huso huso) is protected as a threatened species
under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. This law generally prohibits the
import/export and interstate sale of listed species and products made from
them.
- The United States banned the importation of beluga sturgeon in any form
(including caviar) from the Caspian Sea basin as of September 30, 2005,
and from the Black Sea basin as of October 28, 2005. No beluga caviar from
any country in these basins could be legally imported after these dates.
- The affected countries are: Azerbaijan, Bulgaria,
Georgia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan,
Romania, the Russian Federation, Serbia and
Montenegro, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.
- U.S. consumers may not import beluga caviar
that they purchase overseas if it originated
in any of these 11 countries.
- Some legal beluga caviar may still be available
for purchase in the United States. Consumers
may continue to buy beluga in interstate commerce
(i.e., from U.S. vendors outside their home
state) provided the caviar was imported before
the 2005 bans went into effect and the original
export permit authorizing trade from the country
of origin was issued no more than 18 months
before the date of their purchase.
- Since original permits for the export of
beluga caviar would have to have been issued
no later than September or October 2005, the
availability of legal beluga caviar to purchase
in interstate commerce would not extend in
any case beyond April 2007.
- Retailers who still have beluga caviar that
was legally imported before the U.S. bans
went into effect in the fall of 2005 may continue
to sell that product indefinitely within the
State where they are located.
Other Imported Caviar
- The Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) regulates global trade in all species of
sturgeon and their products.
- Legally imported caviar will be labeled with specific
information required under the CITES treaty.
- When buying imported caviar, consumers should look for
a non-reusable label that contains the following information:
-- a three-letter species code (for example, PER for Persicus)
-- a one-letter source code (either "W" for wild or "C" for captive
bred or aquacultured)
-- the standard two-letter ISO country code (for example, "IR" for
Iran)
-- the year of harvest or re-packaging
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Contact:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Office of Law Enforcement
Phone: 703-358-1949
Fax: 703-358-2271
E-mail: R9LE_WWW@fws.gov
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