Harvesting Paddlefish Caviar to Support Conservation and Community

Glendive Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture

Glendive, Montana

The small town of Glendive, Montana - divided by the Yellowstone River, the largest free-flowing river in North America - has attracted thousands of anglers from across the country for the challenge of catching the fifty to hundred-pound paddlefish that the ply the waters. The thriving populations of the ancient paddlefish - combined with an innovative approach to their conservation and improvement of the communities used as bases for those lured by the prospects of a big catch - led to the Glendive Paddlefish Caviar Project, a leading example of how conservation, scientific study and community development can be served through the sale of over $1 million worth of high quality caviar collected from the once-neglected and wasted fish eggs, or roe.

Since the 1960s, if not earlier, anglers have sought the challenge to reel in the ancient paddlefish, a native species believed to have swam the waters for millions of years - back to the days of the dinosaurs. A hefty catch, weighing in at an average of fifty pounds, the paddlefish have lured anglers who harvested the fish for both sport and meat. The oily, non-bony texture of paddlefish appeals to those who enjoy grilled salmon or a tuna steak. Not able to be baited or lured, however, the paddlefish are snagged with large treble hooks and heavy-duty tackle. Because of widespread damming of rivers, pollution and over-fishing, thriving populations of paddlefish are constrained to only six remaining areas in the United States, one of which is in the Yellowstone River, a river running over 500 miles.

For years, fisherman would clean the fish, discarding the innards and roe from the female paddlefish in open containers or left to rot on the shoreline at the Intake Fishing Area, about eighteen miles north of Glendive. The waste usually attracted clouds of flies and caused an offensive stench of rotting fish entrails. "People have been trying to snag the paddlefish for years," recalls John Trangmoe, former Glendive Chamber of Commerce director who was involved in the early years of what would come to be known as the Glendive Paddlefish Caviar Project. "Trying to snag a paddlefish is quite challenging. There's the spirit of the sport, with some anglers going for the biggest catch of the day, sometimes tossing their lesser catches to rot on the shore in order to go for the fifty to sixty pounders."

This growing and unsightly problem sparked Joe Crisafulli, a Glendive native and member of the Glendive Chamber of Commerce, to recognize an opportunity to process the roe into caviar for sale. In exchange for the anglers to provide the roe from the female paddlefish caught, the fish would be cleaned and wrapped for free and refrigerated. The harvested roe is then packaged and sold as Yellowstone Caviar, with net revenues shared between the Glendive Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, the fiscal agent, and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.

Overcoming initial reluctance by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks - which maintained a policy that prevented wild game to be sold to the public - Crisafulli was joined by Mike Carlson and Jim Culver with the Glendive Chamber of Commerce on a trip to talk with state legislators about the possibility of collecting the roe from the paddlefish caught at the Intake Fishing Area and use the valuable resource for the project, blending economic entrepreneurship, scientific research and environmental stewardship. The three visionary conservationists and entrepreneurs were successful and the project launched in 1989. While changing over the years, the Montana Legislature presently provides the allocation of 70 percent of the net revenues from paddlefish caviar sales to the Glendive Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, with the remaining 30 percent allocated to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.

"Everyone was a bit skeptical at the start, that's why the first authorization was only for two years," admits John. "It was such a unique and different project and there was concern regarding the possibility of over-fishing. We also had to overcome the perception in the caviar marketplace that if the caviar wasn't Russian, it wasn't good. And we did. We started out contracting with a buyer and producer from Florida to process and buy our caviar," continues John. "Then in 1994, we decided to run the program ourselves so we could make more money for the community and to research the fishery."

A five-member, all-volunteer Paddlefish Caviar Committee was created through the Glendive Chamber, responsible for overseeing the marketing, sales and management of the fishing facilities at Intake and other areas. Net revenues from the sales of the caviar are ear-marked for non-profit organizations that serve the public with historical, cultural, recreational programs as well as for fish, wildlife or parks projects. Funds from the project led to sweeping improvements in the campgrounds used by the fisherman and their families at Intake. A new well, septic system, bathrooms, roads and docks were all added over the years.

To guide the distribution of funds from the Paddlefish Caviar Grant Program, a separate and independent, confidential, all-volunteer Grants Committee was established, with one member selected from the chamber, two members selected from locally elected government officials, and two selected from local anglers. As of 2005, $503,660 in community funds have been used to support such programs as the Richey Historical Society, Lindsay Community Hall and Park, Glendive's Frontier Park and Public Library, and Eastern Plains Events Center. "Even nominal amounts of money ended up making a big difference to some community groups," says John. "The little bit of money that supported the Car Club of Glendive for their first ever classic car show got them off the ground. They're on their own now. There's hardly a community in eastern Montana that doesn't have something that benefited from the program."

As of 2005, $637,322 has been raised from the sale of Yellowstone Caviar to support Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks' scientific research related to fish biology, population study and other management issues, leading to the first ever North Dakota and Montana Management Plan for the fishery. When the project first started out, little was known about the movement of the paddlefish up the river, according to Dr. Dennis Scarnecchia with the University of Idaho. Supported by funds from the project, research and monitoring provided a wealth of biological information, including the length, weight and age of the fish. Concludes Dr. Scarnecchia in a recent documentary about the project: "The key to the paddlefish management program is sustainability. We want the fishery to continue and benefits to continue to the community." By monitoring the health and population of the paddlefish, as well as the harvest level, the long-term health of the fishery can be maintained.

"In the fish cleaning and roe processing operation, it's a family affair," smiles Kim Trangmoe, Executive Director of the Glendive Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. "One entire family and immediate relatives help with the processing, even the kids. They rope in the entire family to work in the processing facility." The USDA-inspected processing facility is based in the back room of the Eastern Plains Events Center, or EPEC, with adequate storage for the black and golden Yellowstone Caviar. Also based in the same building, the Glendive Chamber manages the inventory and sales.

In total, three full-time seasonal and two part-time seasonal workers are now employed as a result of the project each year. Besides the fish cleaners and roe processors, one fisherman serves as a guide and boat transfer, another as a runner from Sidney where anglers often put in, while a third worker serves as the Intake Ambassador, welcoming anglers, keeping records and carrying a tackle box to troubleshoot issues as they come up among the visitors. To supply the throngs of anglers with food, drinks and other provisions, a concession trailer is also contracted, helping diversify the income for one of the other businesses in town during the paddlefish season, May 15 to June 30.

"The fishermen come from all over," explains Kim. In reviewing records from one year, about seventy-three percent of the anglers come from Montana. "There's usually two or three people per party, and not everyone gets a catch. A lot of anglers come for the thrill and sport of aiming for a big catch."

"Our operations, like the rest of the mostly agriculture-based community's livelihood, is very Mother Nature controlled," admits Kim. "The 1,000 paddlefish quota is not based on male or female fish caught. So, if you get a catch of 999 male paddlefish and only one female, then we only get roe from one fish. In 2005, for example, the paddlefish quota of 1,000 fish was met in only nine days, and most of the catch were males." But it's not really bad news. A shortfall in one year related to harvesting roe can mean prosperous years to come, since the abundance of roe from the female paddlefish will further reproductive success and population growth.

The Yellowstone Caviar is among the best in the world for middle-grade caviar. Most of the rich gray-black eggs receive a "1" or "1x" grade, the highest USDA inspected quality. While 95 percent of the caviar is sold wholesale in one, two and five pound tubs, four ounce Yellowstone Caviar tins are also available for sale direct to the public for $70 per tin, sold mostly by mail order. "The majority of our caviar is sold through wholesale to fine dining restaurants in New York or distributor accounts in Seattle that sell overseas to Japan," shares Kim. "Our caviar competes with the Russian Seruga Caviar."

Serving as an inspiring model for other communities, the Yellowstone Caviar Project has spread to nearby Williston, North Dakota, which launched a similar program on the Missouri River in 1993. Since the paddlefish season starts earlier than in Glendive, the same fish and roe processor team contracts with the Williston Chamber of Commerce and Friends of Fort Union Trading Post to assist in the harvest.

Who says size matters? "We're down to our final four tins of Yellowstone Caviar after shipping this order out to North Carolina," admits Kim, hoping that this year will bring a larger catch of females. "But we still have some of our unique golden caviar from one of our paddlefish, our first albino caviar harvest." For the communities around the Yellowstone River, the Yellowstone Caviar Project has hatched into new possibilities that pay dividends in local jobs, enhanced environmental stewardship and research, and funding for community development opportunities. Sometimes the smallest things - like the pen-tip-sized grayish roe -- can make a big difference.