Sturgeon Ultrasound
Did you know that we ultrasound our sturgeon to determine gender and roe presence?
Sturgeon have no visible marker on the outside of their bodies that indicates sex. At around 4 years of age, their gender can be determined only by ultrasound. On the ultrasound screen, the sturgeon expert can differentiate between male gonads and female ovaries. Once sex is determined, the males and females are separated into different tanks. At Marshallberg Farm, we are continuously sorting through fish to determine sex. We have over 30,000 sturgeon that must be examined, one by one!
Ultrasound is also used to check for the presence of roe in females. If roe is present, those females are put into special staging tanks in preparation for caviar harvest.
Ultrasound is a non-invasive method of checking gender and roe presence in sturgeon. An expert can do this quickly without giving the fish sedatives or exposing the fish to air.
Questions about our procedures? Contact us.