When it comes to caviar you traditionally have a choice between the incredibly expensive and increasingly scarce wild variety from the Caspian Sea, the farm-raised variety produced with varying degrees of success around the globe, and a host of sub-par imitation or substitute options. Black River Caviar from Uruguay has ushered in a newer contender that aims to fit in somewhere between the first two and be the best of both worlds, dubbed "wild-raised." The process involves replicating the sturgeon's natural habitat as closely as possible.

Black River Ossetra Malossol Caviar is produced from Siberian sturgeon, originally imported as fertilized roe from Russia in 1995. The sturgeon are fed an all-natural, organic feed. Black River's facilities are harmoniously adapted to the environment and best utilize the pristine natural habitat that is Uruguay's Rio Negro. Unlike most farm-raised systems, which involve recirculated water requiring treatment with filters and chemical products, Black River uses millions of gallons of fresh water.

The system involves a fresh water lake whose environment corresponds very closely to that of the lake-like Caspian Sea with its slow and natural water streams, as well as a "raceways" system, which is a perfect simulation of the river delta and its requisite rapids. The volume of water running through the system guarantees a totally unspoiled environment in which the water is naturally oxygenated when flowing through a cascade system, simulating the female fishes' natural journey up the river.

The continuous exercise the sturgeon get in this environment from constantly swimming against the fresh water streams allows them to grow and mature in a fashion which ensures a quality akin to their wild counterparts. After harvesting, Black River's Russian Caviar Master uses the malossol, or "little salt" method, to enhance flavor of the finished product. The delectable large grain caviar (above), has a fresh, clean, nutty taste, and creamy texture. Ice cold vodka is the perfect accompaniment, but champagne works well too.

In the last year, the amount of spas offering the service of small fish to nibble off dead skin has been rising. About two years ago, people here in the U.S. first learned about the "doctor fish" used at some spas in China and other places to eat away dead skin. Fish pedicures have become a hot trend but many states are deciding to outlaw them. The Wall Street Journal reports that at least 14 states have already outlawed the procedure. Some salon owners, who bought fish and tanks, only to have them outlawed in their state are angry.

The core issue seems to be that there is no way to sanitize a fish the way you might sanitize other tools. And the fish can't be discarded after one use. The lack of sterility concerns some people while others think it is no big deal as long as each procedure is done in a separate tank and the water is kept clean. The fish are fairly expensive. The first person to offer the treatment in the U.S., John Ho paid $40,000 for his 10,000 fish. That doesn't include the cost of tanks and care.

Each state is coming to terms with the issue separately and creating their own regulations. The rules will likely shift as time goes on much as they have for other cosmetic treatments.

Whole Foods Market announced via press release that during the month of January it will offer rare Arctic Char from Iceland, a fish you might see on the menu at a chic restaurant, but rarely in the grocery store.

Related to salmon and trout, this Arctic Char was raised in a typically-WholeFoodsy-sounding environment involving water filtration through lava rock by the Samherji cooperative of Icelandic fish farmers on the south coast of the country.

No word from my local Whole Foods on price or an exact arrival date, but they said it would be any day now.

It may not look like much but the 282-pound Japanese bluefin tuna shown above brought in more than $100,000 at auction recently. Two sushi bar owners, one in Hong Kong and one in Japan, paid $104,700 for the big fish at a Tokyo fish auction on Monday. The price was about ten times the average price and the highest in nearly a decade. The first sale of the new year traditionally brings hight prices but the prices were even higher because of a shortage of high quality Oma bluefin. There were just three available at the Tsukiji market compared with 41 last year. A smaller imported bluefin caught off the cost of the U.S. sold for $15,400. Members of international tuna conservation organizations have agreed to cut their bluefin catch quota for 2009 by 20 percent to 22,000 tons which could mean more high prices this year.

For a great behind-the-scenes look at the world of tuna sales, I recommend The Sushi Economy by Sasha Issenberg, it's got some fantastic descriptions of the chaos and commerce in Japan's tuna auctions. It also explains that the tuna's tail is sliced off (as shown above) at auction to expose the quality of the flesh.

I've always loved aquariums, and although small simple versions are fairly commonplace, lush big ones are usually only found in zoos and some business lobbies. But the days of plain goldfish bowls with algae bloom in your home are long gone -- these days you can indulge your love of having nature indoors with an aquarium that looks lush, beautiful, and professional, not stagnant or scummy. The experts at Aqua Forest can help you create a personalized tank that can be anything from thick with greenery to nothing but an artistic arrangement of rocks and stones. And in their tanks the fish serve more as an accent to a work of art than they do the main attraction. Beautiful.

Via Dvice

A goldfish bowl is a goldfish bowl, pretty simple, right? Not to Roger Arquer, who looks at a bowl of water with a fish in it as a way to make significant statements about people and society. He has 15 different designs that cover all kinds of issues from finding privacy, playfulness, different fish living together, and even suicide. The fishbowls will be on display next month in London at the Noel Hennessey contemporary furniture showroom.

This design pictured here, Bottle Vase, speaks about how we often use objects for another purpose after the original one has ended.


Via Wists

Chopard may be better known for timepieces and jewelry, but their collection of accessories does include a few lovely handbags and wallets. This is the Happy Fish Bag, made from grained calf leather and cotton canvas. Compared to other bags in this price range, this one seems rather lightweight and skimpy on the leather, but it does have the cute factor. The bag features little fish cut-outs as well as metal and resin fish hardware. With a simple flap closure, the bag might be rather spare, but it is definitely unique. $520.

Love fishing? Book yourself a spot on the luxury ship Atmosphere for a fly fishing trip along the Chilean wilderness coast. Priced at $15,000 - $25,000, it's the most expensive fishing trip in the world and has plenty of fun luxuries to make that price tag worthwhile. Covering Patagonia by air, land, and water, several different kinds of boats and even a helicopter equipped with all the toys will whisk you away to remote rivers and lakes for dream fishing excursions -- or if you're not in the mood for that you can stay on the ship for awesome food, a massage, and maybe a whale watching excursion instead.

Via Gadling

To be accurate, the guy was offered $80,000 for his fish, but he turned it down. Who knew the aquarium scene was getting so ritzy?

The fish that's getting all the attention, and is considered by some to be the most expensive aquarium fish in the world, is a 15" platinum arowana owned by a breeder in Singapore named Aro Dynasty (what a name!). The fish is completely white -- not albino pink -- but white, without a single fleck of color anywhere. Arowanas are not usually so pricey, but this platinum-colored mutation is extremely rare. And just in case you were interested, Dynasty has implied that he is not necessarily looking for an offer higher than $80,000, as the fish is now "off the market."

Off the $80,000 market? Wow, that fish must have a great personality.

Frank Ghery's jewelry designs are as unique and interesting as his architectural masterpieces. Ghery is currently being sued by Circa Publishing Enterprises over this line of jewelry he created for Tiffany & Co. Claiming it had exclusive rights to produce, distribute and sell the Frank Ghery Collection, Circa is demanding half the proceeds from the sales. But let's just focus on the jewelry, shall we? The collection includes necklaces, rings, bracelets and even tabletop items. The 7-Fish necklace is my favorite. Modern fish shapes created from sterling silver, onyx, nephrite green jade and acacia and pernambuco woods hang from a 16" silver cord like fish on a line. The result is a striking and totally unique piece of jewelry. Available only at Tiffany & Co., this necklace sells for $1,500.

This may very well be one of the most expensive pieces of cookware in the world, and certainly must be the most expensive fish poaching pan. The La Cintura Fish Poacher is made of heavy-gauge copper and has a nickel plated interior, stainless steel lid, rack and handles. It can hold up to 12-quarts of water and, at 23.5" x 8" x 4", is large enough for most of the fish you can buy commercially, though you certainly won't be able to fit in a swordfish if you're an ocean sport fisherman. Price: $965.

As we mentioned earlier, the 10-acre private island owned by James Bond creator Ian Flemming is up for sale. The island, just off the coast of Tobago in the Caribbean, is known as Goat Island. It is approximately 1 mile from the nearest town, called Speyside, and the estate comes with a boat parcel in the town to make travel easier. The main house on the property is a two-story West Indies villa that has 3 bedrooms, all of which have ocean views, and four bathrooms. There are two small apartments, each with a bed and bath, on the hill just up from the main house.

One of the main draws of the property, aside from its exclusive location, is that there is a world-class coral reef just offshore and Fleming himself used to spend an hour a day snorkeling there. Offers of $3 million and above are being accepted.

It seems that sushi chef Nobu Matsuhisa won't rest until there is a Nobu in every major hotspot. The latest Nobu is at Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The first Caribbean Nobu has a bit of a Bahamian flavor with Conch Cevice, Lobster Ceviche and Nobu Style Cracked Conch joining Nobu's typical Japanese fare. The design of the restaurant includes an open sushi bar and a  sake cellar. The sake cellar is a twelve-person dining area located inside a domed tower lined with sake bottles and windows providing marina views.

[via Breaking Travel News]

As a fan of aquatic life, I simply love going to aquariums. Atlanta is reveling in its new showplace, the Georgia Aquarium and I thought it would be nice to bring some of that animal life and beauty into my own home. Living Color Enterprises constructs beautiful habitats for private homes and business across the country. The sky is the limit when building large aquariums. Most take between 8-16 weeks to fabricate and can be filled with whatever life you like. Mind you, some creatures don't like to live together, but If you want a tank of piranhas, I'm sure it can be arranged. Watching all of the activity in a large salt water aquarium has a very relaxing effect and would make a great addition to any house.