Thursday June 18, 2026
CapRadio —
Just about a 20 minute drive outside of Sacramento there’s a farm that’s a little different from other farms in the area — one that raises fish that can get up to 10 feet long. But, they’re not primarily raised for their meat.
Their most prized product, caviar, usually pairs best with champagne, and an air of decadence. At Sterling Caviar, their white sturgeon are bred, raised and harvested all right here in captivity in Northern California.
Sterling’s sturgeon start their life at their Elk Grove location. That’s also where the caviar is harvested. However, shortly after they’re hatched, the fish are moved to their other farm location in Elverta, CA where they live out the majority of their life.
Aaron Olson is the site manager at Sterling Caviar’s Elverta farm. Olson works on the daily to manage their farm, where the sturgeon mature to their full size, complete with whiskers and ridged backbones.
“I like to tell people I wrangle dinosaurs,” Olson said. “Some of our female fish, even our broodstock males, are pushing 250 pounds.”