Two Commercial Fishermen Cited For Illegal Method Used To Check For Paddlefish Roe

Paddlefish have for many years been a resource concern for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which is why when wildlife officers observed two Cumberland River commercial fishermen breaking a law designed to protect these fish, they cited both men for multiple violations.

Also referred to as “spoonbill” catfish, paddlefish are cherished by commercial fishermen because their roe is sold as caviar in a lucrative market that prizes its small dark eggs and because once mature, a paddlefish is capable of carrying at least four pounds of roe.

A paddlefish does not reach maturity until it is at least six years old, which is in part why TWRA has minimum length limits and a relatively short commercial fishing season that begins in November and ends in early April.

Among Tennessee’s native species, paddlefish have struggled since the construction of dams along major rivers like the Cumberland, and because of increased commercial fishing pressure.

In recent years TWRA, along with its governing body of commissioners, has created more protection for the fish with special regulations that includes a phasing in of longer length limits.

“The two guys we arrested this past Thursday morning weren’t worrying about the future of the paddlefish resource,” said Mark Forkum, one of the wildlife officers who cited the fishermen at Neely’s Bend Boat Ramp in Nashville. “They were only worried about the moment and about themselves.”

What wildlife officers observed were 27-year-old Brandon Russell and 70-year old Robert Gentry, both from Nashville, cutting the stomachs of numerous paddlefish as they removed them from nets and then tossed fish back into the river when they apparently did not contain roe.

“Our regulations say that you have to check for roe with a sterile stainless steel syringe,” noted Matt Brian, also one of the officers working the case. “We found a syringe in the boat and we found alcohol for sterilizing it, but we did not see them using it.”

A syringe is a far less intrusive and damaging way to check for roe and is a method authorized by the TWRA. In addition, paddlefish must currently be at least 36 inches in length from the base of an eye to the fork of their tail before they can be kept.

Russell and Gentry used a knife to check for eggs, leaving a gash in the fish that a syringe would not make.

“It’s not known if every fish that is cut will die,” noted Doug Markham, an information officer for TWRA. “We have documented floating paddlefish with their stomachs cut.”

Brandon and Gentry face penalties that could exceed $500 for each fish plus court costs for at least seven commercial fishing violations. In addition, their aluminum boat, 60-horsepower motor, numerous nets, and other equipment are being held for evidence. They could also lose their commercial fishing license.

Nine paddlefish were also taken from the commercial fishermen and all were full of roe, a harvest that would have brought the fishermen more than $3,000.