Sturgeons are no ordinary fish. They’re a species best known for their rare, highly coveted and priced eggs — caviar. Below are interesting photos giving us a rare look inside the Soviet caviar harvest. Enjoy!
Table laid with caviar processed from Russian Volga Delta River sturgeon roe being served with buttered bread and iced vodka
Photo: Carl Mydans
A fisherman holds his sturgeon catch
Photo: Carl Mydans
Kazakh fisherwomen sweep net fishing for Osetra sturgeon at Tanya Molodeznaya in Volga River Delta near Astrakhan, Russia
Photo: Carl Mydans
The sturgeon seen here with its distinctive scale along the crest of its back
Photo: Carl Mydans
Russian fisherman hefting Osetr sturgeon caught sweep netting into boat, framed by Kazakh comrade, at “tanya” in Volga River Delta near Astrakhan, Russia
Photo: Carl Mydans
Sturgeon being taken from river boats to be hauled up to the Fish Complex for processing
Photo: Carl Mydans
Men with clubs stand in a fish compartment boat that is open to the river water and club each live sturgeon before the roe from the caviar had to be extracted from the fish. After that it was smoked, frozen, or canned
Photo: Carl Mydans
Pile of gutted sturgeons
Photo: Carl Mydans
Sturgeon caught in Volga River Delta being gutted during roe removal, at Astrakhan Fish Complex (caviar) processing plant
Photo: Carl Mydans
Women and men cleaning freshly caught sturgeon
Photo: Carl Mydans
Sifting through extracted caviar pearl prior to canning
Photo: Carl Mydans
Women packing caviar into glass jars for export at Astrakhan Fish Complex processing plant; Astrakhan, Russia
Photo: Carl Mydans
Workers in Astrakhan factory canning and weighing caviar
Photo: Carl Mydans
Caviar is being prepared for shipments abroad
Photo: Carl Mydans