I've been following the story of the declining sturgeon population in the Caspian Sea for years. With increasing focus on bans to prevent overfishing, the quest to discover the perfect alternative has been going on for several years (I created a list of beluga alternatives in 2006). Now from Japan there is another solution, Cavianne. This imitation caviar is made from a rather non-appetizing sounding mix of squid ink, apple pectin, sea urchin extract, oyster, scallop and a gum derived from kelp by a company called Hokuyu Foods. The faux caviar has a skin that is thicker and gummier than the real thing. The company produces four tons of this caviar substitute a year which is, according to the AFP, equal to one-fifth of the estimated consumption of real black caviar in Japan, Cavianne is mostly used by restaurants and hotels and sells for the equivalent of less than tend dollars for a 1.75 ounce jar and contains one seventh the calories of real caviar. The company also sells "Fruppy" balls that contain fruit-flavored liquid.

In 2008, it looks the ongoing battles for caviar will be heating up. The fight for the Caspian Sea is starting to get more contentious. In the past, we've mentioned the concerns over the sea and the sturgeon in the sea which are the world's biggest source of caviar. On Monday, Iran firmed up their demand for a share of around 20 percent of the Caspian Sea. There are five Caspian sea states, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. In October, at a summit in Tehran, the five states pledged to work out an agreement to divide the sea but have not agreed on the boundaries yet. Iran's coast is less than 14% of the sea but they think the sea's resources should be divided into five equal portions. The sea is also a source of oil reserves. In terms of caviar the question isn't just access to the sturgeon but also how much caviar, if any, should be harvested. The sturgeon, which can live to over 100 years but mature slowly, are being fished out of existence.

Meanwhile, the black market in caviar continues apace, especially in Russia where the growing ranks of big spenders have an increasing demand for the delicacy. This occurs just as depleted sturgeon stocks have led to bans on caviar. In Russia recently a large crime ring that dealt in illegal caviar was busted. An article in the Independent asserts that most of the caviar sold in Moscow is illegal. The article also states that even the poachers on the Caspian Sea are having trouble making a living.

It is certain that the world of caviar will have to change simply because the Caspian Sea is being fished out. This also represents an opportunity for growing caviar industries in other parts of the world. We've seen a variety of different caviar options arise over the past few years (Check a list of some beluga alternatives i wrote about in 2006) ranging from sturgeon farms in California to paddlefish, trout or salmon roe and even caviar made from seaweed.

Getting most people to eat snails is hard enough, but how about snail eggs? Snail's egg caviar is now being sold by a couple of French snail farmers from Soissons, which is located in the Picardie region northeast of Paris. Dominique and Sylvie Pierru are French entrepreneurs who own a snail farm and spent the last three years learning how to harvest the eggs from their 50,000 gasteropods and developing a method of processing and tenderizing the eggs. The caviar from snails is small and cream colored with a woodsy taste.

The Pierrus have already sold 400 jars of the caviar which sells for around $115 per 50 grams, which is not much different than the cost of sturgeon egg caviar. The caviar, which is unpasteurized, lasts for three months. Everything from the harvesting to the cleaning and sorting is done by hand which also contributes to the price.

Fine caviar from Caviar House and Prunier is available this season in designer tins by Yves Saint Laurent. He's been depicting the concept of love since 1970, but the caviar tins will bear a previously unreleased artistic creation each year -- so each will be a definite collector's item right from the get-go. The 2008 design, a nautical theme, will be available in limited edition through February 2008 at Harrods in London. £295 for 125g.

This would make a great gift -- you know they don't already one, and it opens up an obvious gift idea of helping them complete their collection in future years!

Tsar Nicoulai Caviar has come up with an interesting idea, partnerships with star chefs on specialty flavored caviars. The first creation is Passot Roe, a collaboration with Chef Roland Passot of La Folie. The Passot Roe are trout roes infused with three different flavors, vanilla, kaffir lime and brandy. Each Passot Roe retails at $28 for 2 ounces. It's seems like a savvy move in a world where concerns about sturgeon caviar supply are creating a rapidly shifting marketplace. Humble trout caviar sounds far more exciting with a star chef and exotic flavors attached to it.

There are many people in the world who fly frequently and as such are often subject to airline food, despite it's nasty reputation of being nothing but reheated cardboard. Some airlines, however, are seeking to change that in a major way for their first class passengers -- even to the extent for some of having a chef on board (Gulf Airlines) and serving exotic gourmet dishes.

Among others Singapore Airlines offers a choice of Dom Perignon or Krug champagne, several airlines serve caviar as appetizer, and Malaysia Airlines serves their meals on fine china. Would you (or do you) choose your airline based on the first class meal options?

The tug of war between the desire to protect the sturgeon population and the booming caviar business gets a little more interesting with a declaration from Russia's first Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov. Ivanov, a potential contender to succeed President Vladimir Putin in 2008 has said that he believes that black caviar might have to be taken off the menu for a while to let sturgeon stocks recover. Reuters quotes him as saying that the move could help "repair our national wealth in this time after we so rapaciously annihilated it." Ivanov has said he could survive without caviar. In the past, Russian agriculture officials have asked Putin to declare a state monopoly on the export of black caviar from Russia.

Catherine Zeta-Jones has gorgeous hair and now we know the reason why. The Daily Mail reveals that she goes to Hari's salon in South Kensington to indulge in a unique treatment. She undergoes a treatment that costs £200 and involves washing her hair with a truffle-based shampoo. Her hair is then smeared with beluga caviar flown in fresh from Iran. The fatty acids in the fish eggs are said to give her hair its famed shine.

2006 was the year of the caviar ban in the Caspian Sea. During that time we saw the rise of American caviar including the veneration of the paddlefish as the new future of caviar. We even compiled a list for how to survive without Caspian caviar. Now the UN has lifted the caviar ban, publishing quotas for five countries -- Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. A decision of beluga, the most expensive variety, has been delayed. The sturgeon is still in peril but the countries are allowed to sell 96 tons of caviar in 2007 which is just 15 percent below the 2005 level. It's great news for caviar junkies and for the countries bordering the Caspian Sea but it is most likely depressing news for the American and European caviar producers who have enjoyed the increased attention and business over the past year.

CNN's FSB magazine compiled a panel of two caviar experts - Ricky Estrellado, executive chef Nobu New York and Jean-Luc Kieffer, chef at NY's Picnic - and one "civilian" - their editorial director, Brian Dumaine - to taste test some farmed caviar to see how they stood up to beluga from the overfished sturgeon of the Caspian and Black Seas. Three of the tested caviars were American and one was French. Eggs from an American river sturgeon found in the Midwest were disliked by everyone and opinions were mixed on white sturgeon roe from California and the baeri Siberian sturgeon from France. They all loved the caviar from the wild American Paddlefish, though. And at only $20 an ounce, it's definitely an indulgence that won't break the bank.

As we've noted before, caviar production has slowed due to a ban on wild sturgeon from the Caspian Sea, which has thus far only been lifted for Iran. Now Bin Salem GTE has announced a massive project to produce caviar in the Abu Dhabi Industrial city. The new caviar producing plant will cost over $54 million and the caviar will be produced per international standards and treaties. The first phase of the project will be completed in 16 months and the hope to produce around 32 tons (yes, tons) of caviar as well as smoked fish meat.

Good news for caviar lovers. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has given Iran approval to export caviar from wild sturgeon again. Other Caspian Sea nations are still out of luck. CITES approved exports of up 44,370 kilograms (around 97,000 pounds) of caviar from Iran provided that the eggs cover from Persian caviar, the only species which is not in dire straits. Beluga sturgeon is still banned. Other Caspian Sea nations including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan failed to produce sustainable quota proposals before a meeting deadline and so they will likely remain under a ban for the rest of the year.

We've done a lot of coverage of the ban on caviar that comes from areas where the sturgeon is endangered. While caviar from Russia, Iran and other protected areas is still available, caviar lovers are beginning to cast their nets wider. Here we take a look at some of the more intriguing options from sturgeon, to paddlefish and even seaweed-based caviar substitutes.

Sterling Caviar: One of the best options coming out of California.  At Sterling Caviar  they raise the fish themselves, waiting patiently eight to ten years for the harvest. Their large farm has an inventory of  thousands of sturgeon which are fed a high-protein, balanced diet and monitored for their health. Sterling comes in three versions, classic, royal and imperial, which is the best of the batch and costs $60 per ounce.

With the beluga supply drying up it's doesn't seem like the best time to open a caviar boutique but still you have to applaud the pluck of David Mills who has opened the Emperor's Roe Gourmet Emporium in Harlem. The emporium is Harlem's first caviar boutique and the first African American-owned caviar company in the world. Mills has spent years selecting caviar for the rich and famous and has run Emperor's Roe as a successful mail-order business since 2003. Emperor's Roe also sells other tempting delicacies such as foie gras, cheeses, and American Kobe beef. Mills also sells a variety of American caviars in addition to imported varieties. Businessweek also recently profiled the caviar entrepreneur who is betting that Harlem residents are ready for a taste of caviar.

To get fresher caviar you would have to catch the fish yourself. Caviar House & Prunier offers 48-hour caviar that is available within two days of being caught and processed. The caviar is less salty than traditional caviar and comes from Siberian sturgeons transplanted to the Gironde River in France. According to the LA Times Postcards from Paris blog, 50 grams will run you around $200 at the Caviar House & Prunier restaurant in Paris.