But in 2001 a scarcity of Caspian sea sturgeon forced caviar lovers to find other sources, and suddenly Sunburst was selling to dozens of high-end restaurants in New York.

FORBES: She Shall Overcome

DC, which has been campaigning for several years for greater protection for sturgeon in the Caspian Sea a body of water that is the source of about 90% of the trade in caviar.

ECONOMIST: Fishing (II): Conserving caviar | The

They collected long-term historical records from 12 coastal areas in Europe and North America, including information on the Roman elimination of the Dalmatian pelican from the Wadden Sea and the removal of the Atlantic sturgeon from the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware Bay.

ECONOMIST: Marine biodiversity

They want more aggressive control of sea lions that feast on weak salmon runs and precious sturgeon.

NPR: Large Sea Lion Population Threatens Fishing

Sea turtles, elephant seals and many other fish, including eels, tuna and sturgeon, have a similar migratory strategy, he added.

BBC: Sockeye salmon 'sense magnetic field of home'

At about the time the American sturgeon catch was starting to tap out, fish eggs from the Caspian Sea were beginning to put on their cosmopolitan French airs.

FORBES: Roe Rage

As well as announcing the doctorate and the companies vying for the Saltire Prize, Ms Sturgeon also launched a junior Saltire Prize photography competition called The Power of the Sea, with renowned Scots photographer David Eustace among the judges.

BBC: Renewables firms to compete for ?10m Saltire Prize