Caviar in Memphis. Doesn’t quite have the ring of barbecue, does it?
Nevertheless, the luxurious spread may be a taste served courtesy of the fish folks on South Campus.
The University of Memphis’ Ecological Research Center has splashed around in several aquacultural endeavor —dipping into caviar cultivation most recently.
The delicate, daintily rich eggs are the products of prehistoric swimmers called sturgeons, imports to America primarily from the Caspian Sea.
In America, the most common of five sturgeon species, the paddlefish, dwells in the depths of the Mississippi and Missouri River streams. At The U of M, the shovel-nosed paddlefish can be found on South Campus under the eye of Bill Simco, biology professor.
Caviar production is still only an idea, but Simco and researchers are looking into the potential value of harvesting the paddlefish.
“We’ve got a few (paddlefish), but we’re still just learning,” Simco said. “If we can manage to wind up with a few more babies, maybe next year we’ll be in business.”
According to Simco, paddlefish roe sell for around $100-150 per pound and one 10-pound fish typically yields about 10-20 pounds of eggs.
“But you can’t just walk out on the street with a pound and yell, ‘ Who’s got $100 for some caviar?’,” Simco said. “You need enough product to sell.”
Currently the paddlefish at the research center look like something you may find in a child’s fishbowl, no more than six or seven inches. This is hardly comparable to the sturgeon found in the Persian waters that get close to six feet long.
Simco said his fish have the potential to bulk up to about 40 pounds.
If all goes well, by next year Simco’s paddlefish could be the needed crutch for a presently limping American caviar industry. Dating back to the Jimmy Carter era, the Persian hostage situation forced America to step away from Persian caviar imports, since leaving the fishing industry in danger, according to Simco.
While little aquaculture exists in West Tennessee, the center hopes to make use of available quality water supplies to raise this potential crop.
“Tennessee farmers tend to do what they’ve done though,” Simco said. “There’s a big chance switching acres of soybeans to fish.”
However, Simco holds faith in his long-term goal.
“Paddlefish farming could be a beneficial crop for the area because they require minimum intervention and not much care,” Simco said.
You can release the fish in ponds, allow them to grow feeding naturally and then go in and harvest when they’re sexually matured.
It’s not all about eggs, though. The ecological center is involved with extensive research on catfish.
Simco and USDA official Ken Davis actually have a hand in genetically gearing catfish into a maximal state of growth, health and profitability by way of sex-reversed breeding.
Catfish are dominant. They’re responsible for over 60 percent of all food-fish production and The U of M is in the gut of catfish country in the Mid-South.
“We’re working with commercial farmers in Missouri because we think (paddlefish) have potential as another catfish,” Simco said.
