542 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
The best caviar made in the United States is from the eggs of the lake sturgeon 
{Aeipenser rnhicundus), these being larger than those of the common species {A. sturio). 
The latter is the sole source of caviar produced on the Atlantic coast, the short-nosed 
species (A. hrevirostris) not being found in sufficient quantities for this purpose. The 
lake caviar sold in 1898 for about 80 cents per pound, whereas the Delaware imoduct 
sold for 60 cents, and the Southern Atlantic for 50 cents per pound. 
The caviar prepared on the Pacific coast is from the A. transmontanus, and sells 
usually for 40 cents per pound. During the past three or four years the eggs of 
the shovel-nose sturgeon {A. scaphirhynclms) have been used to a small extent for 
making caviar, most of this product coming from the Mississippi River, especially in 
the vicinity of Memphis. This caviar is not choice and usually sells for about 30 cents 
lier pound, or half that of Delaware caviar. 
The increasing scarcity of sturgeon and the high price of caviar have led to many 
atteiniits at finding a substitute for sturgeon eggs, but so far with very little success. 
The eggs of horseshoe crabs {Limulus polypliemus) have been used, but they are small, 
and become hard and tasteless when salted. Garfish eggs have also been tried, and 
while of good size, they are without flavor and have a disagreeable and even repulsive 
odor. The most successful substitute yet found is shad eggs, which have been prepared 
in identically the same manner as those of sturgeon and mixed with the latter. The 
resulting product sells for a lower price than caviar made entirely from sturgeon eggs, 
but the decreased value is more than counterbalanced by the increased quantity. 
The product of caviar in the United States amounted in 1898 to about 2,800 kegs 
of 125 to 160 pounds each. Of these, 400 kegs were of the large-grain variety from 
the Great Lakes, Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg, etc. : 100 kegs from Columbia 
and Fraser rivers ; 200 kegs, of small grain, from the South Atlantic coast, and the 
remaining 2,100 kegs, of the medium-grain variety, from the Delaware, south coast 
of Long Island, and other waters of the Middle States. About 500 kegs were consumed 
in this country, the remaining 2,300 being exported to Europe. 
Small quantities of caviar are imported into this country annually, the supiilies 
coming from the Volga and the Elbe. The wholesale price in New York varies from 
80 cents to $4 per pound, depending on the quality of the grain and the extent to 
which it has been salted. The higher-iiriced varieties are very lightly salted and 
must be kept at a low temperature. 
The equipment for making caviar is simple and inexpensive, consisting, in addition 
to the floats, slaughter-house, etc., necessary for handling sturgeon meat, of several 
sieves with wire meshes, a few large-sized buckets, tubs, and a number of tight kegs 
for holding the product. The first step in the iirocess is to remove the roe from the 
sturgeon, which should be done as soon as practicable after the fish is caught. The 
sturgeon is turned on its back or side, a gash is cut from the neck to the vent, and the 
eggs are removed. Care must be taken to avoid bringing the eggs in contact with fresh 
water, since it softens them and breaks the shells. The quantity of roe removed from 
each fish varies considerably. The Delaware sturgeon yield from 6 to 12 gallons, 
including the investing membranes of the ovaries and the supporting tissues, the latter 
being only a very small part of the organ, so that there is but little waste from this 
source. The Columbia River sturgeon yield nearly as much as the Delaware sturgeon, 
but those from the Great Lakes average only 2 or 3. gallons. 
The masses of eggs and membranous tissue are at once placed upon a wire sieve, 
the meshes of which are just large enough for the eggs to pass through as the masses 
