Ossetra dwells another type of sturgeon, Siberian sturgeon ("Acipenser Baerii"), which is farmed all over the world because it can adapt to a wider range of habitats. It begins to produce caviar faster than "Acipenser gueldenstaedtii". Throughout the entire history of black caviar consumption, reference to Ossetra was made only to the fish that was caught first in Imperial Russia, then the USSR, and now in the Russian Federation. Today, Caspian Ossetra is facing extinction in its native habitat. Farming sturgeon is the only way to continue the production of high-quality caviar. Continuous drastic declines in natural sturgeon populations over the
Sterlet become self-sustaining. Today, the majority of the international trade involves sterlets from aquaculture. The sterlet's main source of food is benthic organisms; they commonly feed on crustaceans, worms, and insect larvae. The sterlet commonly reaches the age of 22 to 25 years. Males reach sexual maturity at 3–7 years old and females at 4–12 years old. Spawning occurs from the middle of April to the beginning of June. Females may lay from 15,000–44,000 eggs, at water temperatures preferably 12–17 °C (54–63 °F). Sterlets require relatively large ponds with good water conditions, and may get entangled in plants such as blanketweed.