Biologists have started a pilot program to study an ancient fish species in Oklahoma's Grand Lake of the Cherokees, and the byproducts of their research will end up as fuel oil from a Carthage plant, and possibly a new generation of the fish from the Neosho fish hatchery.
Some of the byproducts will also end up as a prized delicacy on hors de' oeuvre plates around the world.
The fish is the paddlefish, also known as the spoonbill.
Biologists Brent Gordon and Keith Green have started the Paddlefish Research and Processing Center at Twin Bridges State Park in Ottawa County, Okla., to help sport fishermen at Grand Lake by processing and filleting their catch. As a bonus, Gordon and Green will get to collect information about each fish they process and collect the eggs for sale to support their project.
Some of the eggs will also end up at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department's Neosho Fish Hatchery, which spawns and stocks the fish across the middle of the U.S.
The processing center is still under construction, but it opened for business on Saturday.
Most of the eggs will be sold to make caviar. The proceeds from the sale will go to pay for the research project.
Gordon said right now, the eggs, along with more than 50 percent of the fish, are thrown away because Oklahoma state law prohibits taking whole paddlefish outside the state.
"The eggs are a byproduct that's being thrown away right now," Green said. "It's illegal to take any of this out of Oklahoma. The fish has to be gutted before it can cross the state line, so it's currently a wasted resource. We're not advocating catching anymore fish, there's enough fish caught every year to sustain our program."
Gordon said the paddlefish can grow to well over 100 pounds and more than five feet in length. It's distinguished by the long paddle or spoon, made of cartilage that extends from the top of the fish's head.
The fish's natural range is the Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and other large North American Rivers, but Grand Lake has a large and self-sustaining population of about 65,000 fish.
"Grand Lake has always been a pretty traditional place to catch paddlefish," Gordon said. "Grand Lake probably has one of the best self-sustaining populations left in the U.S. and the Neosho River is one of the best fisheries. There are a lot of reasons for that; one is that the population is just very good. If you compare our catch to like North Dakota or Montana, you're allowed to catch one a year there. Here you're allowed to catch one a day."
