2009 caviar harvest is the same at ‘08

The an2009 caviar harvest is the same at ‘08ual fishing season for paddlefish may be over, but a product harvested during the season by a Williston non-profit group is still available.

North Star Caviar began in 1993 and operates the paddlefish cleaning station at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers each spring. They provide the fish cleaning for free for the donation of the paddlefish eggs.

Darci Grindheim, operations manager and administrator of North Star Caviar, said this year got off to a quick start with 352 paddlefish caught and cleaned in the first weekend of the season beginning May 1.

“There were the most we’ve ever seen the first weekend. It was actually very good, we had ample staff,” said Grindheim.

After the first weekend, however, the number of fish caught fell off sharply and they closed the fish cleaning station early on May 16.

“After that, it just totally died off,” Grindheim said.

Overall, 716 paddlefish were caught, form which about 1,800 pounds of eggs were harvested.

Grindheim said one reason for the decline was a large percentage of people who come the first weekend each year are from areas outside of Williams County and the surrounding area. She said after the first weekend, the number of anglers fell off and eventually they packed up.

There were additional reasons for packing up and not reaching the 1,000 paddlefish limit as well.

“With higher water levels and where the fish were in terms of their spawning process, this year led to the smaller numbers of fish,” said Grindheim.

Grindheim said despite the fewer fish, they still harvested about the same amount of eggs as last year. She said the number of fish caught and how quickly can vary widely from year to year.

“There’s no such thing as par. There is as much volatility here as you’ll find anywhere,” said Grindheim.

This year was surprising in how busy the first weekend was compared to the rest of the season. She said in the past few years they reached 1,000 fish and in some cases did so very quickly. Grindheim said there’s really no way of knowing what will happen next year.

Grindheim said the caviar they produce is sold after the season. The product goes to various business contacts they’ve developed over the years throughout the country and abroad.

She said things have gone well overall and the partnership it has with the Williston Area Chamber of Commerce and the Friends of Fort Union/Fort Buford is a good one.

“It’s a viable corporation in it’s own right. We exist by a permit by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and we’re allowed to do what we do in the time alloted to us,” said Grindheim.

Proceeds from the project are split between Game and Fish to support paddlefish research and a grant project designed to help with projects to improve habitat conditions, as well as land and water access for outdoor activities and other projects.

“As far as next year, we’re really at the mercy of Mother Nature,” said Grindheim.

She said a potentially good thing about the big start and slowdown afterward could be North Star had more visibility over time at the confluence and more local people might notice them. She said it may help to have a steady flow of people rather than swamping the area and the nearby residents.

“We’re hoping in the long run maybe the numbers might be more spread out,” said Grindheim.

For more information on North Star Caviar, its product and grant program, visit its Web site at www.northstarcaviar.com/.