What, no caviar? Conservationists say beluga, other sturgeon on brink of extinction

Group: Beluga sturgeon now critically endangered

GENEVA — What will the wealthy do without their caviar?

A leading conservation group says sturgeon species such as the beluga are being pushed to the brink of extinction by overfishing and environmental degradation.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says a complete ban on fishing in the Caspian Sea and elsewhere may be the only way to save the ancient species prized for its eggs, known as caviar.

IUCN has assessed 18 types of sturgeon for its latest Red List of endangered species and found all of them are threatened.

One participating scientist, Ellen Pikitch of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook in New York, said Thursday that a total trade ban lasting several decades would allow sturgeon stocks to recover.