Caviar Anyone?

[SpoonDog]

With the tough time paddlefish have due to dams and invasive species, I think the hatchery propagation is justified. Its fair to question the costs, and look for ways to defray them, but I think marketing the roe could open a whole new can of worms. MDC is already fighting the legislature on any number of issues, I don't see that getting any better by adding more money to the mix. And when you factor in the costs of building stations, staffing them, enforcement, and evaluation to prevent overharvest, I'm not sure how much the agency or anglers would benefit- especially with the effect a flood of new supply would have on market price.

If there were a responsible way of doing it, I think it'd be a great idea. But as much as MDC likes spending money, I'd think it's already been looked at. Worth asking, though.

[Flysmallie]

It seems that Oklahoma doesn't have a problem doing it. I haven't heard of anything bad about the way that they do it. Plus the earned money could pay for the a lot of the paddlefish program. Seems like they are not being very responsible by requiring everyone to throw away a valuable resource. That would be like the diamond fields in Arkansas telling everyone they can come search for diamonds but if you find one we will smash it with a hammer.

[Feathers and Fins]

So far interesting except allow me to bring up a small topic. Wanton Waste.

Wanton Waste—It is illegal to intentionally leave or abandon any portion of any wildlife that is commonly used as human food.

[SpoonDog]

Eh, I'm not sure it'd stick. Heart, brains, liver, kidneys, intestines, stomach, bones and marrow- all commonly used as food, but I'm not sure that makes a gut pile wanton waste. And even if someone wanted to claim they were preventing wanton waste- the provision doesn't allow them to sell the eggs.