Magazine

Mar 6, 2013

America’s beluga caviar king

Zaslavsky, 60, owns a successful Miami-based specialty food import, export and distribution business called Marky's. His obsession, however, is with beluga caviar - a delicacy now banned in the United States due to environmental restrictions. Sturgeon have to reach sexual maturity before they can produce roe. In the wild, that can take 15 to 20 years. But in captivity, with the right water temperatures and a specially formulated high-protein diet, it can happen in as little as six or seven years.

Shiver, biologist Orozco, Potter and Kay carry a female beluga sturgeon in a sling to spawn with males at Sturgeon Aquafarms in Bascom. MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER/REUTERS

Biologist Orozco moves a female beluga sturgeon to spawn with males at Sturgeon Aquafarms in Bascom. MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER/REUTERS

Biologist Orozco and Shiver use a sonogram to determine the sex of a small beluga sturgeon at Sturgeon Aquafarms in Bascom. MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER/REUTERS

Biologist Orozco prepares to move female beluga sturgeon to spawn with males at Sturgeon Aquafarms in Bascom. MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER/REUTERS

Biologist Orozco, Shiver and Potter put a female beluga sturgeon into a sling to move to another tank for spawning with males at Sturgeon Aquafarms in Bascom. MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER/REUTERS

A small beluga sturgeon swims in a tank at Sturgeon Aquafarms in Bascom. MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER/REUTERS

Biologist Orozco and Shiver prepare to move female beluga sturgeon to spawn with males at Sturgeon Aquafarms in Bascom. MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER/REUTERS

Biologist Orozco uses sonographic equipment to determine the sex of a small beluga sturgeon at Sturgeon Aquafarms in Bascom. MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER/REUTERS