This photo taken on Sept. 17, 2026 shows outdoor recirculating aquaculture ponds at China Qingjiang (Yidu) Sturgeon Valley in Yidu City, central China’s Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Lu Jinbo)

China’s booming sturgeon-farming and caviar industry is providing the global market with a legal and sustainable alternative to wild caviar, helping curb demand for illegally harvested roe and ease pressure on vulnerable sturgeon populations.

This transformation is visible in Yidu, a city along the Yangtze River in central China’s Hubei Province, where large breeding facilities and man-made ponds scattered among villages are home to more than 1 million farm-raised sturgeon.

The local waterways were once crowded with fishing nets and cages, polluting the water and threatening native fish populations.

In 2016, China intensified efforts to protect the ecosystem of the Yangtze, the country’s longest river. Five years later, a comprehensive 10-year fishing ban took effect, along with the Yangtze River Protection Law.

As part of the efforts, Yidu and other areas along the river removed all fishing nets and cages from the water. But that wasn’t the end of the industry — it was the push to reinvent it.

In 2018, China Qingjiang (Yidu) Sturgeon Valley was established, marking the world’s first indoor, industrial-scale sturgeon breeding facility. The idea was simple: take the sturgeon out of the river and raise them on land.

The payoff went both ways. River water quality recovered, and rare species began to return. On land, sturgeon farming became larger, more centralized and increasingly technology-driven, helping boost caviar production.

Industry data shows that China accounts for around 60 percent of global caviar production. Yidu alone was shipping more than 10,000 tins a day to over 20 countries, according to Ji Jianyi, general manager of Qingjiang Sturgeon Valley Special Fishery Co., Ltd.

Scientists have made major advances in captive sturgeon breeding.

Sturgeon Valley now holds more than 40 patents, including a fully automated digital breeding system set to come online soon, making it one of the few unmanned, intelligent sturgeon farms in the world.

These innovations have brought a once-extravagant luxury within reach. A decade ago, a kilogram of caviar sold for as much as 160,000 yuan (about 23,700 U.S. dollars).

Today, China’s large-scale production has made caviar affordable enough for consumers to pick up a tin at the supermarket for less than 200 yuan.

“The rise of China’s caviar industry isn’t just an economic story — it’s an ecological one, too. Overfishing worldwide once pushed many sturgeon species to the brink of extinction. China’s booming aquaculture industry has helped ease pressure on wild sturgeon populations,” Ji said.

“What we’re selling isn’t just caviar. We’re cutting demand for illegally harvested wild roe,” he noted, adding that the company’s production and trade strictly comply with the requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Sturgeon aquaculture has also reshaped the local economy and helped revitalize the countryside.

Liu Zhongxing used to be a fisherman, hauling in whatever the weather allowed. Now he manages the breeding base at Sturgeon Valley.

“We used to live off the weather, and fishing was never steady,” Liu said. “Now we farm with technology, and our income keeps getting better.”

Villagers haven’t stopped at raising fish. They’ve woven the industry into tourism and culture too, building businesses around farm tours, science education experiences, dining and lodging — adding new income streams along the way.