Standard International Trade Classification
U.S. imports of Caviar & Caviar Substitutes Prepared from Fish Eggs (SITC 03717) totaled $5.3M in August 2026, imported from 39 countries.
Importers of Caviar & Caviar Substitutes Prepared from Fish Eggs paid $1.2M in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 22.30% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule. Caviar & Caviar Substitutes Prepared from Fish Eggs imports of $5.3M in August 2026 ran 22% below the year-to-date monthly average of $6.8M.
Last updated: August 2026 dataSturgeon caviar is among the most tightly regulated seafood imports entering the US: all commercially traded sturgeon species are listed under CITES, requiring valid export permits from the country of origin and import documentation filed with the US Fish and Wildlife Service before the shipment can clear customs. Non-sturgeon roe products marketed as caviar substitutes — including salmon, paddlefish, lumpfish, and tobiko — fall under the same SITC heading but face a different regulatory profile, generally requiring only standard FDA prior notice and seafood HACCP documentation. The premium price point and small shipment volumes make accurate species identification and chain-of-custody documentation especially important for both compliance and fraud-prevention purposes. Importers should consult a licensed customs broker experienced in CITES-controlled seafood before arranging any sturgeon caviar shipment.
AI-written summary of the official U.S. Census Bureau trade figures on this page — verify before relying on it.
178 import shipments a month
All sturgeon species are listed on CITES Appendix II or higher, so each commercial shipment requires a CITES export permit issued by the exporting country's management authority and a corresponding US import permit or declaration processed through the Fish and Wildlife Service. Shipments without valid CITES documentation will be seized at the port of entry.
No. Non-sturgeon roe products are not CITES-listed and do not require Fish and Wildlife Service permits. They are subject to standard FDA prior notice, seafood HACCP compliance, and accurate species labeling. However, labeling rules require that only roe from sturgeon be sold as 'caviar' without a qualifying species modifier, so label review is important for marketing compliance.
Basic heading 192 of 337 in section 0
Basic heading 03717 · $5.3M of $14.7B
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ImportsExports
Imports
$5.3MYoY · free account
Exports
$2.5MYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $95.8M of Caviar & Caviar Substitutes Prepared from Fish Eggs and exported $28.2M.
Through August 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Imports · August 2026
origin
China pays 52.1% duty; Taiwan 10.0%.
customs district
Census does not publish district detail for this classification system.
destination
Census does not publish state detail for this classification system.
entry
Census does not publish port detail for this classification system.