Paddlefish Egg Deal Kind Of Wrangles My Feathers

[Justin Spencer]

It is my understanding that it is illegal for private individuals to sell paddlefish roe in the US, am I wrong?

[duckydoty]

Funny why all these disasters are not happening in Oklahoma where it is not illegal. As I said in my opening comments, this has been goiing on since before most of you were born. Spoonbill are very prolific if allowed to be on there natural spawing grounds. When not they are easily introduced and stocked with a very high success rate.

Let's quit sensationalizing this crud about arresting someone with a pocket full of eggs, and turn this negitive into a positive with better utilization of this wonderful resource. As I said, as we write this there are thousands of pounds of them floating bloated up on Lake of the Ozarks, and more in the trash.

totally irresponsibe for this conservvation dept.

Where can we take it from here to be heard and not just shrugged off?

[fishinwrench]

See how those who enjoy grabbing paddlefish feel when every Meth head gets out there trying to make money when they've never fished for paddlefish before. Many more paddlefish will be harvested, limits will drop to maybe 2 per year per person (not per day), and those who enjoy the sport will suffer. I'm all for MDC selling the eggs, but let the general public profit, and the whole dynamic will change.

Darn fine alternative to cooking meth IMO Get the crackheads out fishing and they might discover a life better/healthier than the one they are currently living.

The freakin season is only a month long, why not let the ones that want to, capitalize on it? The money they get for their roe will most likely stay local, and that's a good thing for everyone.

To deny folks a little monetary boost for something that DOES require some effort because you assume there'll be some "issues" arise, is a pathetic excuse.

We know some folks will drive home drunk yet it is STILL legal to sell booze at a roadside bar. Why is that legal? Because the local revenue gets a boost from it.

[Feathers and Fins]

What get me is this

Special Notice

Extracted paddlefish and shovelnose sturgeon eggs may not be possessed while on waters of the state or adjacent banks, and may not be transported. They also may not be bought, sold or offered for sale.

Would appear to be a complete violation of this

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

[Justin Spencer]

Darn fine alternative to cooking meth IMO Get the crackheads out fishing and they might discover a life better/healthier than the one they are currently living.

The freakin season is only a month long, why not let the ones that want to, capitalize on it? The money they get for their roe will most likely stay local, and that's a good thing for everyone.

To deny folks a little monetary boost for something that DOES require some effort because you assume there'll be some "issues" arise, is a pathetic excuse.

We know some folks will drive home drunk yet it is STILL legal to sell booze at a roadside bar. Why is that legal? Because the local revenue gets a boost from it.

First of all it is my understanding we are talking about thousands of dollars per fish, not $1 for a deer tail. You better believe myself and people like me who work seasonally will be out there getting our fair share.

If we were talking about legally caught small mouth bass or even trout being sold to markets I think attitudes might be different. Lets open up all game to being bought and sold and see what happens to our wildlife, wasn't this the problem with market hunting that led to our current attitudes about wildlife conservation.

[Bird Watcher]

It is my understanding that it is illegal for private individuals to sell paddlefish roe in the US, am I wrong?

You are right. Private individuals can not sell them in OK. You can keep and use what you obtain from your own legally caught fish, but you can't sell them. Only the game and fish can sell them.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Funny why all these disasters are not happening in Oklahoma where it is not illegal. As I said in my opening comments, this has been goiing on since before most of you were born. Spoonbill are very prolific if allowed to be on there natural spawing grounds. When not they are easily introduced and stocked with a very high success rate.

Let's quit sensationalizing this crud about arresting someone with a pocket full of eggs, and turn this negitive into a positive with better utilization of this wonderful resource. As I said, as we write this there are thousands of pounds of them floating bloated up on Lake of the Ozarks, and more in the trash.

totally irresponsibe for this conservvation dept.

You think poaching spoonbill has stopped in Oklahoma? Far from it. You can Google any number of newspaper articles of poachers still being caught in Oklahoma. When you look at the OK regs, they created their own market free of any competition.

You can also take a look at this.

https://www.stlbeacon.org/#!/content/27422/missouri_caviar_paddlefish_100912

I am sure these folks are not to pleased with having to compete with a taxpayer funded entity.

[Chief Grey Bear]

What get me is this

Would appear to be a complete violation of this

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

I guess we better not toss those fish heads then.

[fishinwrench]

Justin, I'm not talking about a natural and non-renewable resource. I'm talking about spoonbill

taken legally.

Soon it would drive caviar prices down, no doubt, so the threat of spoonbill extinction would be short lived.

Right now there are folks that need some extra cash. I just don't see any harm in allowing them the opportunity. That's all.

And the ones selling the eggs aren't the only ones that would benefit. Think of your "resort brethren" on the Osage.

[Outside Bend]

If we were talking about legally caught small mouth bass or even trout being sold to markets I think attitudes might be different. Lets open up all game to being bought and sold and see what happens to our wildlife, wasn't this the problem with market hunting that led to our current attitudes about wildlife conservation.

This.

I'd argue MDC's job isn't to provide anglers or meth addicts additional employment or supplemental income, but rather protect the state's aquatic resources. The reason why paddlefish caviar is so valuable right now is because sturgeon stocks are exhausted- every single sturgeon species on the planet now receives some sort of protection, largely due to overfishing by the caviar industry. To me, that doesn't mesh with the Department's objectives to promote conservation and the wise use of resources.

I worry that creating a market for paddlefish eggs creates an entirely new constituency- one interested in economics over conservation. I could see it opening up a whole can of worms regarding stocking rates, length limits, creel limits, etc. We've seen how tough it is to balance conservation needs with commercial interests in our wild sturgeon fisheries, in our big-river catfish/carp/buffalo fisheries, in our aquaculture industry...I'm not sure bringing on more economic interests is wise, nor whether it really does MDC, sport anglers, or the resource any long-term good.

And their are tradeoffs for the fishery, too: with more anglers and more pressure there's a reduction in the total numbers of fish, the mean size of fish, and often, the quality of the angling experience. Maybe the money's worth it, but I'd be reticent to tell my kids I traded their opportunity at a 70-100 lb paddlefish for a thousand bucks.