The beluga is the largest sturgeon and the largest European freshwater fish. The beluga sturgeon is the source of the delicacy, beluga caviar, which is the eggs or roe of the sturgeon. It is estimated that one female sturgeon may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for her caviar. Unfortunately the fish must be killed in order to retrieve the eggs. Overharvesting has caused nearly a ninety-percent decline in beluga sturgeon populations. The trade in beluga caviar is worth some $100 million annually. The United States is the biggest consumer and buyers pay around $450 for a 125-gram tin of these precious salted sturgeon eggs.