Caviar Trade Shut Down to Save Sturgeon

Caviar - a delicacy symbolic of wealth - may soon become an even more rarified substance. The secretariat of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species has blocked the global export of wild caviar, or sturgeon eggs. Sturgeon, whose population is waning, are an ancient fish, but damming, pollution, and corruption involving fishing and illegal trade threaten their survival. The ban, aimed at preventing the extinction of sturgeon, would principally impact 10 nations, including China, Iran and Russia, who are active exporters of sturgeon products. Major importers of those products include the US, Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland. A true test of refinement could be whether the international community is willing to respect an environmental priority over demand for a product that stands for social status and privilege. - YaleGlobal