Paddlefish Roe from Wild Fisheries in Oklahoma

Polyodon Spathula

Oklahoma is one of a handful of states that has a naturally reproducing Paddlefish population. The program works to keep the local Paddlefish population stable by conducting and funding the research. They've even helped develop laws that allow for a sustainable fishery.

It offers a pretty sweet deal for those who catch a fish. They bring their catch to the facility right along the river, where the researchers collect genetic information about the fish, harvest the roe and return the processed fish back to the person who caught it. Pretty dope, right? In the end, it is a win-win. Anglers get their meat, scientists get their research and we get the roe!

The Fisheries Research organization has been in existence since 1992 and started to use roe as a way for the non-for-profit to fund itself in 2008. The organization has made huge strides on the healthy management of the local Paddlefish population. They changed regulatory quotas from fishers being able to catch one fish a day to 2 fish per year. Also, there are spawning areas in the river shed that are closed in the spring to allow the fish to reproduce without being disturbed. The cultivation of this roe, in turn, helps us to appreciate this unique, domestic species.

This program is based on the recreational paddle fisheries in the Grand Lake, Arkansas and Neosho rivers. Anglers hand over their catch to the Fisheries Research Department for 3 reasons:
1. To get the fish cleaned and the meat back
2. To have the roe processed for resale [funding the research)
3. Gathering vital data from the fish to further the conservation of the species

Consuming this product can expose you to chemicals including lead, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.