But the process of producing the eggs is difficult and extends further than simply raising the fish. Sturgeon don't attain full maturity until they are 7, or sometimes even 15 years old, so simply keeping them alive for such an extended period is a task fraught with difficulty and cost, not to mention the advanced technologies and long experience required to distinguish gender and extract the eggs.

"The best time to extract the eggs is during the first 11 weeks of the sturgeon's stage 4 maturity," Wang said. "This is very difficult to master. The eggs are not rich enough if extracted earlier, but they wither if taken later." It's essential that the eggs undergo 16 different processes within 15 minutes of extraction to ensure the best flavor, he said.

Unlike their Western counterparts, Chinese caviar producers operate a model that includes independent fishermen, plus breeding and processing centers, and the use of companies that sell the eggs.

Fang Xinming, a 38-year-old fisherman at Thousand Island Lake, was among dozens of fishermen that helped enterprises to breed sturgeon at an early stage in their development. In November, he bought 20,000 newly hatched sturgeon weighing about 0.1 kg each. In around three years, when the fish weigh more than 10 kg each, a processing company will buy them and continue raising them in large cages in a lake.

Fang started breeding sturgeon in 2009, when he bought just 5,000 because of concerns about the high level of investment and his limited knowledge of the fish. But now he has no concerns at all and expects to make a profit of 2 million yuan in two years.

"I've talked my two brothers into raising sturgeon this year," said Fang. "Most people are still looking on. Their eyes will pop out when they see me making all that money. What other kind of fish can bring you a profit of 1 million yuan in a year?"

Currently, there are three main companies involved in the production of caviar in China, and all have high hopes. Hangzhou Qiandao Xunlong at Thousand Island Lake started test runs at its new processing plant in Quzhou, Zhejiang province this month. When fully operational, the factory will be the largest in Asia with a processing capability of 35 metric tons a year.

Tianxia Sturgeon (Group) in Hubei province started construction of the World Sturgeon Industrial Park in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, in 2009, scheduled for completion in 2014, with planned investment of 1.3 billion yuan.

The third company, Yunnan Amuer Sturgeon Aquaculture, attracted a large shareholder in May, and is aiming to become a first-class caviar brand in 10 years.

"The high technology threshold and the long wait before one sees a profit have prevented many people from entering the industry," said Wang Bin. "I see that as a good thing for the industry - it doesn't offer quick money, but it will grow slowly and steadily."