Paddlefish Egg Deal Kind Of Wrangles My Feathers

[Bill Babler]

This egg eating deal has been going on since I was a whipper snapper on lake O. I want to congratulate MDC for the work that they have done with the paddlefish, but they are the ones causing the problem here.

To me it is a No Big Friggin Deal someone was going to make Cavier out of the eggs. MDC waste more roe worth millions of dollars than the rest of the United States put together and then makes a big deal out of busting someone that wants to utilize it.

They need to take a deep breath and take a look at this. Oklahoma has set the bar here and they are making money to fund not only the paddlefish but other species with the selling of the roe.

It is time we all take a good close look at ourselves and see how we can support projects without taxes, and without someones elses money or help. Paddlefish are one of those examples. Utilize the roe and sell it for a profit eliminating it from the hands of citizens wanting to do the same.

I have seen in my time thousands of pounds of it dumped in the lake or on the shoreline or trash bins all over the Osage River and Lake of the Ozarks, as well as now Table Rock.

Lets just waste this resourse and then fuss when someone wants to use it. The time the effort and the money it will take to convict a handful of people for processing basically what MDC considers as garbage from their actions, makes this ridiculas.

Looks good in the headlines, till you take a deeper look at this.

Makes no sense to me.

[duckydoty]

It is a huge waste the way it is managed right now.

[Bird Watcher]

IMO, you are dead on Bill. OK makes millions off the eggs they collect, but it's still fine if someone wants to keep theirs and eat them. 99% of the people give them to the conservation dept in return for their fish being picked up on the water, cleaned and returned in a plastic bag at the end of the day, but the money made by the state off the eggs funds all kinds of fisheries programs in addition to the paddlefish. It seems like a no brainer to me.

[Justin Spencer]

IMO, you are dead on Bill. OK makes millions off the eggs they collect, but it's still fine if someone wants to keep theirs and eat them. 99% of the people give them to the conservation dept in return for their fish being picked up on the water, cleaned and returned in a plastic bag at the end of the day, but the money made by the state off the eggs funds all kinds of fisheries programs in addition to the paddlefish. It seems like a no brainer to me.

Sounds like the Okies have it figured out, I'd be interested in seeing reasons against this, seems like it create a few jobs and make money to boot, logistics would be a nightmare, and if you contract it out there is the possibility of corruption, but that could all be overcome.

[Bill Babler]

IMO, you are dead on Bill. OK makes millions off the eggs they collect, but it's still fine if someone wants to keep theirs and eat them. 99% of the people give them to the conservation dept in return for their fish being picked up on the water, cleaned and returned in a plastic bag at the end of the day, but the money made by the state off the eggs funds all kinds of fisheries programs in addition to the paddlefish. It seems like a no brainer to me.

It is a huge waste the way it is managed right now.

Both of you guys are right on. This is just a disaster. There are trash cans and fish cleaning stations all over Missouri filled to capasity with eggs that could be turned into a fantastic resource, but NO. Lets just prosecute someone for wanting to use our wonderful garbage. This makes absolute no sense, and MDC need to be told about this. That for sure the general public is fed up with this type of bureacracy. No more taxes.

They have the resourses to more than take care of themselves if they don't waste them. I'm just fed up with curd like this.

[Terrierman]

^{Agree. The resource could be better managed instead of being all freaky about it. Keep the same limits on the fish but let a fellow do with the eggs what you will rather than just throw the $$$ away.}

[Justin Spencer]

^{Agree. The resource could be better managed instead of being all freaky about it. Keep the same limits on the fish but let a fellow do with the eggs what you will rather than just throw the $$$ away.}

I disagree with allowing eggs to be sold by individuals because this would create a business out of wildlife which puts more pressure on a resource. Maybe an expensive commercial permit could be made for those wanting to do this, but a program like Oklahoma has would be better. One problem I see is the distance between paddlefish areas in Missouri compared to that of Oklahoma, would take more people here, but we could start in one area and then expand if the program is successful.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I see it different. I don't want any of our resources to become so valuable that people will make a career out of it. With the astronomical prices of the eggs the sport fishermen would be lucky to find room to boat, much less fish.

I don't think the MDC is going to go after anyone who makes caviar for themselves, nor do they care, but they have to have a way to keep the sport a sport and not a business.

Lets face it, those guys in Colorado smuggling to Russia don't give a rats rear end about any resources in Missouri. If they were truly interested in a business, rather than cheap eggs, they would fish the Mississippi where it's legal.

[duckydoty]

I see it different. I don't want any of our resources to become so valuable that people will make a career out of it. With the astronomical prices of the eggs the sport fishermen would be lucky to find room to boat, much less fish.

I don't think the MDC is going to go after anyone who makes caviar for themselves, nor do they care, but they have to have a way to keep the sport a sport and not a business.

pretty hard to make caviar if it is illegal to possess the eggs.

[Bill Babler]

I disagree with allowing eggs to be sold by individuals because this would create a business out of wildlife which puts more pressure on a resource. Maybe an expensive commercial permit could be made for those wanting to do this, but a program like Oklahoma has would be better. One problem I see is the distance between paddlefish areas in Missouri compared to that of Oklahoma, would take more people here, but we could start in one area and then expand if the program is successful.

Kind of cuts out fur trapping and commercial fishing on the rivers with that type of thinking. Maybe also guiding. You could easily start at Warsaw with a collection faculity, and they already know about the numbers being harvested at various locations. They just need to collect the eggs there and have them processed at Warsaw. They can sell products over the internet. This can be done.