During the past few centuries the "acipenseridae" were numerous all over Italy and, up to about thirty years ago, they were abundantly fished. The sturgeon could in fact be found along the Adriatic coast, in the Po River and many other rivers in northern Italy including the Ticino. It also occurred in the Tyrrhenian Sea and was largely caught when it ran up the Arno, Tevere and Volturno Rivers. Now the increasing environmental degradation of rivers, lakes and many coasts as well as uncontrolled fishing have damaged this species to the extent that it is considered endangered and is protected by the Washington Convention.
However, thanks to Agroittica Lombarda, the sturgeon and its precious eggs have once again acquired a leading role in the world cuisine in the past few years.

The " Acipenser Transmontanus", known as White Sturgeon due to its white flesh, is a long-lived species that can live up to 100 years, weigh over 400 kg and reach a maximum length of 6 metres. The White Sturgeon is one of the major fish whose flesh most adequately meets modern dietary requirements. In fact it contains less than 3% fat while having a high protein content (over 18%). Its greatest value however lies in the outstanding production of large eggs from which Calvisius originates.

Its long breeding experience has allowed Agroittica Lombarda to gain considerable knowledge of modern aquaculture and it has thus developed a leading role in this field.
The Calvisano factory covers an area of 2,300 square metres where the product undergoes transformation and processing, while the sturgeon breeding ponds cover an area of about 60 hectares. Spring-water feeds these ponds. Sanitary conditions are constantly and carefully checked. In fact the ponds are emptied and cleaned periodically. A particular characteristic of the Agroittica Lombarda farm is however the combined exploitation of water and fire that has allowed this company to accomplish an aquaculture installation, unique in its kind. Its water is in fact warmed by the heat produced by the cooling of the semi-finished steel coming from an adjoining steel-plant. The water reaches very high temperatures and provides an enormous amount of energy which, by means of a heat exchanger, is used to keep the temperature of the sturgeon weaning habitat constant (20°-22°C).
The breeding conditions described above are practically identical to those of the sturgeon's natural habitat. It is common knowledge that this fish grows particularly well when it has considerable space. Thanks to the environment provided by Agroittica Lombarda, the White Sturgeon has been able to perfectly adapt itself. The breeding cycle takes about five years for sturgeons that are meant to be eaten (9/12 kg) and over eleven years for females producing caviar (35/60 kg).