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Marshallberg Farm Aquaculture Facilities

Marshallberg Farm Aquaculture Facilities

With over 80% of caviar distributed in the USA being imported from Chinese farms, family-owned & operated Marshallberg Farm aims to break the mold and sustainably produce Osetra caviar right here in the USA.

Using new, state-of-the-art R.A.S. (recirculating aquaculture system) technology, we are able to raise our sturgeon without being dependent on an outside body of water (lake, river, pond, etc.). We recycle over 95% of our water, responsibly containing our waste instead of releasing it into the environment. We are the only full RAS sturgeon farm in the USA, ranked a “Best Choice” for sustainability by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch (seafoodwatch.org).
 
By using a recirculating system, we are not at the mercy of outside pollutants, and maintain full control of our water quality. This system is more like a water treatment plant than a fish farm. We filter about 1 million gallons a day, giving us the highest filtration possible for our fish. High filtration = clean water = happy fish = better caviar!
 
Unlike imports, we do not use borax or any other chemicals in our caviar production. We follow strict U.S. regulations for environmental, health and food safety.

OUR R.A.S. STURGEON FARMS

With recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) facilities in both eastern and western North Carolina, Marshallberg Farm is the largest producer of Russian sturgeon and Osetra caviar in North America. Read our article in Aquaculture North America >

Our farm adheres to U.S. environmental standards, proudly producing superior quality Osetra malossol caviar and sturgeon meat through sustainable aquaculture of Russian sturgeon (gueldenstaedtii). Our American caviar is pure, containing only sea salt and the finest hand selected Russian Sturgeon roe.

Above: NCSU MARC
Above: NCSU MARC

Marshallberg Farm also hosts the Marine Aquaculture Research Center (MARC) of North Carolina State University, which was established in 2008, shown to the left.

Marshallberg Farm owns and operates two Russian sturgeon farms in North Carolina: Marshallberg Farm on the central coast, and LaPaz in the mountains, about 300 miles apart. The two farms are similar in size (each about a million gallons of culture water), both are indoor re-circulating aquaculture systems (RAS), and each has processing facilities for caviar and meat. 

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Together, these facilities make up the largest producer of Russian Sturgeon (Acipenser gueidenstaedtii) meat and Osetra caviar in North America. Marshallberg Farm has the capacity to annually produce 5-7 tons of caviar and 80 tons of raw sturgeon meat.

Marshallberg Farm East is located on Core Sound near Cape Lookout on the Atlantic Ocean, about 12 miles east of Beaufort and Morehead City in North Carolina. The farm raises sturgeon in 40 indoor RAS tanks in two buildings of about 54,000 sq-ft in total. It also operates a 6,200 sq-ft processing building including five cold rooms, totaling 1,800 sq-ft, at various temperatures. 

Marshallberg Farm West (aka Lapaz, formerly Atlantic Caviar and Sturgeon), also an RAS sturgeon farm located in the mountains, near Lenoir, N.C. (about 77 miles from Asheville), had been owned and operated by North Carolina State University until Marshallberg Farm acquired it in 2017. This farm raises sturgeon in 36 RAS tanks in two building of about 50,000 sq-ft in total. It also has a separate building for staging and processing of meat and caviar.

Our state-of-the-art tanks and water treatment facilities are designed to recycle water so as to minimize wastewater and to produce caviar and meat of the highest quality. We do not use growth hormones or antibiotics, and we use the best feed on the market. In processing, we do not use any preservatives other than sea salt. Our facilities are equipped with everything needed to yield some of the highest quality sustainable seafood products on the market, including our farmed Russian sturgeon and Osetra caviar.

Our farm adheres to the strict U.S aquaculture regulations of zero effluent discharge; we produce fertilizers by recycling waste water with woodchips for a community-supported agriculture (CSA) garden and promote aquaponics in holding ponds for growing vegetables. In this way, we proudly produce superior quality Osetra caviar and sturgeon meat through sustainable aquaculture practices. Our caviar is pure, containing only sea salt and the finest Russian sturgeon roe. 

The farming process at Marshallberg Farm begins with hatching the eggs, then growing the small juvenile fish in the company’s nursery tanks until they reach a size of approximately 600 g. At this time they are stocked into larger production tanks and are fed every two hours throughout the day. When fish reach a size of approximately 5 kg, males and females are separated, then grown further until they are ready to be harvested. Females are sampled prior to harvest using ultrasound and biopsy methods to assess egg quality. If quality is suitable for our caviar, fish are placed into separate tanks in crystal clear water in preparation for harvest. From the time juveniles are stocked until the caviar is ready to harvest from females normally takes at least 8 years.

Ultrasounding sturgeon to determine gender around age 4
Ultrasounding sturgeon to determine gender around age 4

Marshallberg Farm’s pristine, state-of-the-art processing facilities are equipped with everything needed to yield some of the highest quality sustainable seafood products on the market, including our farmed Russian sturgeon and Osetra caviar. For opportunities, contact us.

Thank You!

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      Caviar Reviews

      Marshallberg Farm

      Verified Owner Reviews

      David 12/23/22

      Classic Osetra Caviar
      I'm blown away with the quality and taste of your Caviar. I was a first time buyer and I didn't know what to expect. I've never had 100% authentic caviar and all I can say was WOW!!!! I definitely can't afford to buy this on a regular basis but I can tell you I might sneak in an anniversary and maybe even a birthday. No one in my family eats it except me, I HAVE IT ALL to myself. I received it in great packaging and it was ice cold. I was going to wait until Christmas to open a tin but I couldn't wait. I was like a kid in a candy store. I paired with the potato Latkes recipe from your website. Absolutely incredible. The only regret I have is I should have ordered a larger tin. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas

      Libby Liles 09/05/22

      Products from Marshallberg Farm have added a new dimension of excellence to our family gatherings. We have enjoyed the flavorful smoked sturgeon, creamy smoked sturgeon spread and, of course, the decadent Osetra caviar. The quality and flavor of these products simply cannot be surpassed and we look forward to enjoying them at future family gatherings.

      JLossada 04/14/22

      Royal Osetra
      Simply sublime in terms of taste, color and texture! Overall, it exceeded my expectations. I look forward to my next purchase. The value of this product is amazing.

      Stephen Anderson 02/20/22

      Royal Osetra
      Excellent. My wife and I had the royal ossetra in a three-way test against two top-shelf imported caviars (another ossetra and a beluga hybrid), and this one more than held its own. Nice firm eggs, with a distinct flavor and just a little saltiness.

      Matt F. 01/03/22

      Premium Osetra Sampler
      We received our caviar delivery in anticipation of making our New Year’s Eve an unforgettable evening. Even with high expectations, we were absolutely blown away with the quality and flavor of everything we received. It was truly one of the greatest at-home food experiences we’ve ever had. I also highly suggest the smoked sturgeon filet. It will not get better than a bite of Caviar on Sturgeon! I will be dreaming about this until we place our next order!!

      Viktoria Sikora 01/01/22

      Classic Osetra Caviar
      This product EXCEEDED my expectations! It matched my memories of the "real deal" from many years ago and definitely exceeded all the other tries to duplicate that experience since. I brought it to a NYE party which proved to be a HUGE hit among very discriminating friends. Thank you and I look forward to celebrating with your product again. Worth every cent. Viktoria Sikora

      Joy 12/26/21

      Classic Osetra Caviar
      We did a Christmas Eve caviar tasting. 2 grocery store roes, one French caviar, and 2 from The Caviar Farm. There was a night and day difference. The NC caviars were by far the best. I highly recommend their products !

      B Buckley 12/21/21

      Classic Osetra Caviar
      Every product is delicious. I will never order Russian caviar again. What a pleasure to find such quality in a NC product. The Ossetra is the best I have had including the Russian Tea Room and Petrossian in NY.

      David Greenblatt 11/26/21

      Gold Reserve
      The golden was the best caviar we have had!!! Agreed by all, truly the golden was amazing!!! We have been eating Marshallberg’s for years. We have compared it to the best we have had. Hands down Marshallberg’s the best!!! We have shared it with Michelin chef friends and industry experts, The vote is always the same, the best. I have Persian friends that bring us caviar from Iran. This goes toe to toe.

      Ron 10/29/21

      Premium Osetra Sampler
      I have tried many different sources for caviar and Marshallberg Farm is simply the best. The flavor was what I was looking for and the texture was magnificent. The product came arrived at the perfect temperature because the packaging was the best I have ever seen. A terrific experience from start to finish.
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