Canadian caviar certified organic
The company, which sells its White sturgeon caviar under the trade name Northern Divine for about CAD$ 3,000 (~€ 2,215) per kilo, has obtained the certification after 11 years of waiting for its fish to start producing the luxury food. The large fish have to be slaughtered in order to extract the black eggs, but Target Marine can also sell the meat for some CAD$ 20 (~€ 15) per kilo. During a visit to the farm last year on the Sunshine Coast a ferry ride north of Vancouver last year, General Manager Justin Henry told FishfarmingXpert that they had approximately 2,000 female sturgeons at various stages of maturity, and that they expected to harvest about 300 kilos of caviar in its first year of production, with each fish on average yielding some 7 kilos of caviar-quality eggs.
The company issued a press release last week, announcing the organic certification;
| Northern Divine is the first Certified Organic caviar produced in North America. Caviar consumers of the world have another great reason to choose Northern Divine caviar. Not only is Northern Divine rated among the top 5 sustainable caviars in the world, it is now certified organic. Target Marine Hatcheries, producer of Northern Divine and white sturgeon, is certified by Global Trust as organic under the Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standards. This organic certification makes Northern Divine the first certified organic caviar produced in North America. Target Marine Hatcheries has been working for more than a decade to attain organic certification. “After years of commitment to organic farming practices we are proud to have become certified organic, giving a new ecological choice to the astute caviar consumer.” Justin Henry, General Manager of Target Marine Hatcheries. Principles of organic farming are to protect the environment, maintain long term biological stability, recycle materials and resources, provide attentive care to the animals, and maintain organic integrity of the products. To learn more about Organic Certification for aquaculture, visit the Organic Trade Association web site. Target Marine Hatcheries has been raising white sturgeon since 1999. Their facilities are located on 60 acres of pristine wilderness located in the small town of Sechelt known as the ‘land between two waters’ on Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. The sturgeon are raised from tiny eggs to the harvest age of 12 or more years, weighing up to 300lbs. In addition to Northern Divine, other certified organic products available at Target Marine Hatcheries include sturgeon meat, fins and vesiga. Northern Divine caviar; recognized as sustainable by Ocean Wise™, rated among the top 5 sustainable caviars in the world by Travel & Leisure Magazine 2011, now certified organic. Northern Divine can be delivered fresh overnight in Canada and in the US. |
On his way to the “Culinary Olympics” in Bocuse d’Or next week, the Canadian chef Alex Chen from Vancouver recently posted a recipe in the Vancouver Sun that called for the use of Northern Divine caviar on top of a smoked salmon dish.
