Welcome to Target Marine Products

Target’s core business is the production of caviar and meat from White Sturgeon. The expected arrival date for caviar is in 2009.

Target has been in operation since 1994 and is wholly owned and managed by residents of the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, Canada. Local ownership has translated into generous sponsorship of numerous community events, projects and sports teams.

This website is currently under construction.
Come back soon for information on the sale of caviar
& sturgeon meat, more company information, and to learn
more about the farming of White sturgeon and caviar.

White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) is one of 25 species of sturgeon that evolved more than 200 million years ago. These fish are prized for their dense boneless flesh and rich caviar. In British Columbia, sturgeon were harvested from the Columbia and Fraser River watersheds via the commercial and sport fisheries starting in the 1800's. As a result of the mismanagement of fisheries and habitat, White Sturgeon in B.C. have been reduced to levels that can no longer sustain a fishery. This decline of wild sturgeon populations is not unique to B.C. or this species of sturgeon. Stocks of several sturgeon species are at critically low levels in established harvesting areas worldwide, particularly sturgeons from the Caspian Sea that have traditionally supplied the world caviar market. To read about the decline of global sturgeon populations visit the Caviar Emptor website.

Global demand for sturgeon meat and caviar is on the rise with increasing world population and increasing seafood consumption. Aside from a few sustainable sturgeon fisheries, much of this demand is being supplied from illegal poaching of wild fish. As sturgeon aquaculture grows, some of the pressure will be taken off of these wild stocks.

The first hurdle to overcome in the production of caviar is separating the boys from the girls. Sturgeon have no sexual dimorphism, or known external indicators of their sex. Currently the only certain method of sexing the fish is through surgical incision and visual examination of the gonads. Other less invasive methods such as blood screening and ultrasound are currently being researched.

The second obstacle in the production of caviar is time. Sturgeon are a relatively slow animal to reach sexual maturity and some females may not produce eggs until they reach an age of thirty years or more in the wild. With ample food, proper nutrition, and some warm water, these fish should mature at 8 years of age.

Target Marine Products LTD.
White Sturgeon Products Community Envolvement Employment Home


SEARCH OUR SITE: Target Marine Products 7333 Sechelt Inlet Road Sechelt, BC V0N 3A4 Telephone: 604-885-4688 Fax: 604-885-7949 E: info@targetmarine.com	Target Marine Products - Canada's Premier Producer of White Sturgeon Target’s core business is the production of caviar and meat from White Sturgeon. The expected arrival date for caviar is in 2009. Target has been in operation since 1994 and is wholly owned and managed by residents of the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, Canada. Local ownership has translated into generous sponsorship of numerous community events, projects and sports teams. This website is currently under construction. Come back soon for information on the sale of caviar & sturgeon meat, more company information, and to learn more about the farming of White sturgeon and caviar. White Sturgeon Background White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) is one of 25 species of sturgeon that evolved more than 200 million years ago. These fish are prized for their dense boneless flesh and rich caviar. In British Columbia, sturgeon were harvested from the Columbia and Fraser River watersheds via the commercial and sport fisheries starting in the 1800's. As a result of the mismanagement of fisheries and habitat, White Sturgeon in B.C. have been reduced to levels that can no longer sustain a fishery. This decline of wild sturgeon populations is not unique to B.C. or this species of sturgeon. Stocks of several sturgeon species are at critically low levels in established harvesting areas worldwide, particularly sturgeons from the Caspian Sea that have traditionally supplied the world caviar market. To read about the decline of global sturgeon populations visit the Caviar Emptor website. Global demand for sturgeon meat and caviar is on the rise with increasing world population and increasing seafood consumption. Aside from a few sustainable sturgeon fisheries, much of this demand is being supplied from illegal poaching of wild fish. As sturgeon aquaculture grows, some of the pressure will be taken off of these wild stocks. Caviar We expect to begin caviar production in 2008. Challenges The first hurdle to overcome in the production of caviar is separating the boys from the girls. Sturgeon have no sexual dimorphism, or known external indicators of their sex. Currently the only certain method of sexing the fish is through surgical incision and visual examination of the gonads. Other less invasive methods such as blood screening and ultrasound are currently being researched. The second obstacle in the production of caviar is time. Sturgeon are a relatively slow animal to reach sexual maturity and some females may not produce eggs until they reach an age of thirty years or more in the wild. With ample food, proper nutrition, and some warm water, these fish should mature at 8 years of age. This website is currently under construction. Come back soon for information on the sale of caviar & sturgeon meat, more company information, and to learn more about the farming of White sturgeon and caviar.