09-10-2007, 03:10 PM
Wildlife Department to use caviar to fund paddlefish management program
At its September meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission approved an extensive business plan for a pilot paddlefish research and caviar processing program scheduled to begin operating in February. An overview of the plan was provided to the Commission by the Department's Brent Gordon, northeast region fisheries supervisor, and Lt. Keith Green, game warden supervisor.<br />
Wildlife Department personnel will collect eggs from sportsmen-caught female paddlefish and process them into caviar, which will then be sold by the Department to wholesalers for competitive prices. Funds generated from caviar sales will then be put back into paddlefish management in Oklahoma.<br />
The primary functions of the paddlefish research and processing center will be collecting important data for the Department's paddlefish management plan, processing paddlefish meat for anglers and salvaging paddlefish eggs.<br />
The pilot program, which will be established near the Twin Bridges area of the Neosho River, will play an important role in paddlefish management, according to Gordon.<br />
"Anglers who bring their paddlefish to the center will not only provide important data for fisheries biologists, but in return they'll receive their fish's freshly processed meat in an attractive, clean package to take home to the freezer," Green said.<br />
Green said the paddlefish research and processing center would be seasonally staffed by employees trained in proper handling and processing of fish products, and that if the pilot program was successful, other processing centers could be set up at future locations. Green added that Wildlife Department personnel will be available to offer the latest paddlefishing information to anglers as well as to offer a pick-up service to anglers who have caught a paddlefish and want to send it to the research center.<br />
The center will be open during paddlefish snagging season, and anglers will be able to bring their catch to the center for cleaning and processing. They will take home meat from their own fish that has been safely cleaned and packaged.<br />
"This is a fiscally sound and biologically viable effort," Gordon said. "It's good for the fish, good for anglers and good for the Wildlife Department. The bottom line is that this center will lead to better managed fish populations and improved fishing opportunities for anglers."<br />
This would be the first venture of its kind for the Wildlife Department, but other state wildlife agencies such as Montana and North Dakota have been successful in operating paddlefish processing centers for their fisheries management programs.<br />
"Managing paddlefish is different than managing other trophy-sized fish," Gordon said. "It's not unusual for paddlefish to live 30 or 35 years in Oklahoma, but it takes eight to 10 years for females to mature, meaning it takes a while to begin seeing the results of management. Not only that, it's very important that we know as much as possible about these fish and their populations in Oklahoma to improve future management strategies."<br />
Paddlefish, which date back to the Jurassic Period, regularly weigh over 50 pounds, and anglers who have caught them say the action is better compared to deep sea fishing than that of an Oklahoma river or lake.<br />
Gordon spearheads the Department's paddlefish management program, which has involved an extensive process of netting, weighing, measuring and marking paddlefish with metal tags on the front of the jaw before releasing them to be caught by anglers by way of snagging. Anglers who snag a tagged paddlefish are encouraged to report their catch to the Department through wildlifedepartment.com to not only help in the management of the paddlefish in Oklahoma, but also to provide anglers with unique information about the individual fish they caught.<br />
Gordon said paddlefish populations are in trouble in some states, but Oklahoma holds healthy populations. In addition to the Neosho River, top paddlefish angling locations include the Kaw Lake tailwaters, Ft. Gibson Lake and Oologah Lake.<br />
"The research center is going to benefit not only our management program, but also anglers," Gordon said.<br />
Surveys performed in top paddlefishing locations in Oklahoma showed that anglers largely supported the idea of paddlefish research and caviar processing center. About 99 percent of those surveyed said they would moderately or strongly support such a venture, and about 92 percent said they would likely participate by having their paddlefish processed at the center.<br />
"This program will help accomplish what the Wildlife Department could not easily or affordably do on its own," Gordon said. "It will gather information we need for managing paddlefish fisheries as well as provide anglers with a unique and helpful service."<br />
Commissioners approved implementing the pilot project, along with start-up funds for the project.<br />
In other business, the Commission recognized Tom Wolf for 30 years of service to the Wildlife Department and central region wildlife supervisor Johnny Herd for 45 years of service. Herd is the longest tenured employee to ever serve the sportsmen of the state.<br />
The Commission also accepted a donation of $1,000 from the Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation to be used for the purchase of additional trout for the LMFR, voted to pursue the purchase of property located in Harper County, and declared the first weekend in June annually as Free Fishing Days in Oklahoma.<br />
Additionally, the Commission approved a motion to establish a special antlerless deer gun hunt on the Camp Gruber Joint Maneuver Training Center on Oct. 6, 2007 to help correct a significant deer herd imbalance. Eligible hunters will include Oklahoma residents who are members of the Oklahoma National Guard deploying Oct. 19 with the 45th Infantry Brigade to Operation Iraqi Freedom.<br />
Finally, the Commission declared flood damage to the American Horse Lake dam an emergency.<br />
The Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Wildlife Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the Wildlife Department, and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.<br />
The next scheduled Commission meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 1 at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters (auditorium), at the southwest corner of 18th and North Lincoln, Oklahoma City.
At its September meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission approved an extensive business plan for a pilot paddlefish research and caviar processing program scheduled to begin operating in February. An overview of the plan was provided to the Commission by the Department's Brent Gordon, northeast region fisheries supervisor, and Lt. Keith Green, game warden supervisor.<br />
Wildlife Department personnel will collect eggs from sportsmen-caught female paddlefish and process them into caviar, which will then be sold by the Department to wholesalers for competitive prices. Funds generated from caviar sales will then be put back into paddlefish management in Oklahoma.<br />
The primary functions of the paddlefish research and processing center will be collecting important data for the Department's paddlefish management plan, processing paddlefish meat for anglers and salvaging paddlefish eggs.<br />
The pilot program, which will be established near the Twin Bridges area of the Neosho River, will play an important role in paddlefish management, according to Gordon.<br />
"Anglers who bring their paddlefish to the center will not only provide important data for fisheries biologists, but in return they'll receive their fish's freshly processed meat in an attractive, clean package to take home to the freezer," Green said.<br />
Green said the paddlefish research and processing center would be seasonally staffed by employees trained in proper handling and processing of fish products, and that if the pilot program was successful, other processing centers could be set up at future locations. Green added that Wildlife Department personnel will be available to offer the latest paddlefishing information to anglers as well as to offer a pick-up service to anglers who have caught a paddlefish and want to send it to the research center.<br />
The center will be open during paddlefish snagging season, and anglers will be able to bring their catch to the center for cleaning and processing. They will take home meat from their own fish that has been safely cleaned and packaged.<br />
"This is a fiscally sound and biologically viable effort," Gordon said. "It's good for the fish, good for anglers and good for the Wildlife Department. The bottom line is that this center will lead to better managed fish populations and improved fishing opportunities for anglers."<br />
This would be the first venture of its kind for the Wildlife Department, but other state wildlife agencies such as Montana and North Dakota have been successful in operating paddlefish processing centers for their fisheries management programs.<br />
"Managing paddlefish is different than managing other trophy-sized fish," Gordon said. "It's not unusual for paddlefish to live 30 or 35 years in Oklahoma, but it takes eight to 10 years for females to mature, meaning it takes a while to begin seeing the results of management. Not only that, it's very important that we know as much as possible about these fish and their populations in Oklahoma to improve future management strategies."<br />
Paddlefish, which date back to the Jurassic Period, regularly weigh over 50 pounds, and anglers who have caught them say the action is better compared to deep sea fishing than that of an Oklahoma river or lake.<br />
Gordon spearheads the Department's paddlefish management program, which has involved an extensive process of netting, weighing, measuring and marking paddlefish with metal tags on the front of the jaw before releasing them to be caught by anglers by way of snagging. Anglers who snag a tagged paddlefish are encouraged to report their catch to the Department through wildlifedepartment.com to not only help in the management of the paddlefish in Oklahoma, but also to provide anglers with unique information about the individual fish they caught.<br />
Gordon said paddlefish populations are in trouble in some states, but Oklahoma holds healthy populations. In addition to the Neosho River, top paddlefish angling locations include the Kaw Lake tailwaters, Ft. Gibson Lake and Oologah Lake.<br />
"The research center is going to benefit not only our management program, but also anglers," Gordon said.<br />
Surveys performed in top paddlefishing locations in Oklahoma showed that anglers largely supported the idea of paddlefish research and caviar processing center. About 99 percent of those surveyed said they would moderately or strongly support such a venture, and about 92 percent said they would likely participate by having their paddlefish processed at the center.<br />
"This program will help accomplish what the Wildlife Department could not easily or affordably do on its own," Gordon said. "It will gather information we need for managing paddlefish fisheries as well as provide anglers with a unique and helpful service."<br />
Commissioners approved implementing the pilot project, along with start-up funds for the project.<br />
In other business, the Commission recognized Tom Wolf for 30 years of service to the Wildlife Department and central region wildlife supervisor Johnny Herd for 45 years of service. Herd is the longest tenured employee to ever serve the sportsmen of the state.<br />
The Commission also accepted a donation of $1,000 from the Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation to be used for the purchase of additional trout for the LMFR, voted to pursue the purchase of property located in Harper County, and declared the first weekend in June annually as Free Fishing Days in Oklahoma.<br />
Additionally, the Commission approved a motion to establish a special antlerless deer gun hunt on the Camp Gruber Joint Maneuver Training Center on Oct. 6, 2007 to help correct a significant deer herd imbalance. Eligible hunters will include Oklahoma residents who are members of the Oklahoma National Guard deploying Oct. 19 with the 45th Infantry Brigade to Operation Iraqi Freedom.<br />
Finally, the Commission declared flood damage to the American Horse Lake dam an emergency.<br />
The Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Wildlife Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the Wildlife Department, and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.<br />
The next scheduled Commission meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 1 at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters (auditorium), at the southwest corner of 18th and North Lincoln, Oklahoma City.