I thought I would pass this information on to you who enjoy shooting Gar. It came out of an Alabama Newpaper online:
Cleburne County family survives bitter experience with gar eggs
HEBER SPRINGS – Not all fish eggs create caviar; some can be downright dangerous. A Cleburne County family discovered this after becoming violently ill upon eating the eggs of a long-nosed gar on April 5.
The eggs of some fish species are processed into expensive caviar, and fried fish eggs are a spicy appetizer in Indian cuisine. Even bluegill eggs can be deep-fried and served. But the eggs of all gar species are extremely toxic and should be avoided.
"My husband Darwin (Aaron) and brother-in-law Russell (Aaron) had gone spearfishing in Greers Ferry Lake and had gotten one gar," said Tiffany Aaron. "My husband had heard that gar were good to eat, and we've always been a family that's up for trying anything once."
Mrs. Aaron said Darwin, Russell and her 10-year-old son, Carson, ate the gar and its eggs at about 8 p.m. that evening. Carson was the first to get sick, and began vomiting by 1:30 a.m. Russell became ill by 3 a.m., and Darwin followed suit at 5 a.m.
"The men were the only ones who had eaten the eggs, so I got online to find out more," said Mrs. Aaron. "That's when we found out they were poisonous."
Carson was taken to Baptist Health Medical Center in Heber Springs where he was put under observation.
"My biggest question was what should we expect or watch for," said Mrs. Aaron. "But the ER doctors didn't have any experience with this sort of poisoning, and the Poison Control Center didn't have any information. The one thing the doctors could tell me is that it was fortunate that my son began vomiting as quickly as he did to get the toxins out of his system."
Lee Holt, an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Fisheries Management Biologist conducting research on alligator gar, was contacted for more information about the type of toxin contained in gar eggs.
"I made a lot of calls to gar experts I knew from my research," said Holt. "Our main concern was the type of toxin. There was one mention of it possibly being cyanide-based. The doctor at the emergency room explained that treatment for cyanide poisoning can be just as harsh as the toxin, so we needed to make sure before (Carson) was given any treatments."
Holt said he found out that it was a protein-based toxin, so the harsh treatments could be avoided.
All three men recovered from the episode, but the effects of the poisoning lingered for three days.
"As it turns out, there's so little information on the subject that researchers at Nicholls State University in Louisiana are conducting follow-up interviews about the family's ordeal," Holt said.
thank you
ChuckC
Very good info., thanks for passing it on.
No gar out here in Washington, the Cabezon we catch off the coast here has lethally toxic eggs. I am glad to hear they all pulled thru.
wow, interesting....
I have heard all my life that gar eggs were poison. The meat is good but stay away from the eggs. Until now, I thought it was an old wives tale. On the other hand, I never ate gar eggs. Bill
I thought everyone knew that! :scared:
I have read some research that in addition to the toxic properties they are caustic in the same way bleach and lye are, very high pH.
Also interesting is that one of the few (if not the only)animals that can consume, digest and recieve no ill effects from gar eggs is the Channel Catfish.
We used to always wait with anticipation for the gar to spawn. The catfish go NUTS. Similiar I suppose to the way Rainbow Trout really go on the bite when the Salmon run the rivers in Alaska.
Either in the lakes or in the clear streams, the catfish follow the gar around waiting for them to spawn.
I'm very glad the family is OK. Guess Anthony Bourdain won't be trying gar eggs either.
OkKeith
I'm glad everyone is OK. Whenever I was a kid and "unlucky" enough to catch a gar, I was taught to smash it's head with a stick and throw it back in the lake or river for turtle food. People here in East Tennessee will eat about anything, never heard of anyone eating gar.
Not eating any fish eggs! They are only good for bait as far as I am concerned.
Glad everyone is ok.
When I was a kid my Dad fried the bream eggs for us. Never found them that good but just unusual to eat. Never heard this about gar eggs. You can always learn something new. Thanks.
Born (1951) and raised in Florida, we used gar eggs for bream, a fabulous bait. But I was always told to rinse my hands in the river after baiting the hook because the eggs were poisonous. All grown up now, I wonder what was in the river I washed my hands in!! I've always eaten bass and bream roe, delicious. I have always heard that the Seminoles threw gar on hot coals and then peeled the skin off and ate the meat. The scales were used for arrow points.
thanks for the heads up an glad they are doing ok
Jer Bear
Yet again the good information passed along among TG'ers to keep each other ad others families safe. Another reason I love this site is because of things as simple as this. Thanks for sharing and I hope everyone is doing better now.
Yea, gar eggs are a no-no. Don't eat polar bear liver, either, just in case anyone was thinking about it.
QuoteOriginally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
I thought everyone knew that! :scared:
Same here! Ironically, the guys name was Darwin...
I Learnt something new today! :eek:
Notice the guys name is "Darwin" as in "Darwin Awards".....
We used to eat bass and bluegill eggs when I was a kid and had time to fish. I would have never known about the gar eggs and thought it might be handy to post.
Since everyone is ok...might I do at least 2/3 of a PUN... the P & U?
That story is GAR-ish!
devil made me do it...
Always ate shad roe...considered a delicacy here in the East... tried catfish eggs... not so pleasant. Never saw a gar but visiting FL as a kid, but even w/ losing short-term memory, I'll REMEMBER this one! :eek:
Yep gar eggs are not for eating. Dogfish eggs on the other hand, yum. Soak in a salt brine for a bit and there you go.
There are a few different species of gar and some hybrids. I have always been taught to never eat any gar. I see some fishermen keeping them now and then. Now days alligator gar are off limits or at least I understood that. Indians use to use the scales of the alligator gar for armor as well as arrowheads. Get this up until about a hundred years ago American settlers used wooden plows that were cover with gar scales. It was believed for hundreds upon hundreds of years that metal plows would poison the field so wood was employed and coverd in gar scales here in the States for durability. I have an advertisement with Fred Bear bowfishing a giant alligator gar. Roe is a bonus to catching an edible fish, it's good stuff.
We used the metal eyelets on the boat to break the jaws of every Gar we ever caught on our trot lines.. I would have to be pretty hungry to eat a gar...
Glad everyone is alright...!
Thanks for the info.
WOW, who'd a thunk it ? never had a clue they were poisonous, good stuff here.
I gotta be in the mood for fish anyway, fish eggs dont sound like anything I'd take a hankerin for, I'd have to be sure nuff hungry before I'd go for it.
Lot's of people in Louisiana eat gar. We make gar balls. Good stuff. Gar pick up toxins on their own from the water in which they live. Any type PCB's etc in a reservoir seem to collect in the gar first and with a higher level than other fish. We have a local lake, get this, it is the city water supply, that has a warning, do not eat the gar due to the high levels of PCB's. But we drink the water with no effect? It seems gar then catfish pick the toxins first, then sport fish, bass and bream.
If you have never tried it, Google gar ball recipes and try them.
Good stuff;
Billy
I second Billy's advocation for Gar Balls. The ones I had were a lot like a hushpuppy with finely ground fish in it. REALLY TASTY!
As a kid, we used to always hit the Sand Bass run. Most folks probably know them as White Bass, it's the State Fish of Oklahoma.
Wasn't unheard of to catch 100 or 150 fish between Dad, little brother and me. The big females had about a handful of eggs in each. We always ended up with a whole mess of them. Mom would take a spoonfull and batter them for deep frying. Dab a little yellow mustard on them, FANTASTIC.
OkKeith
gar roe is sold as fish bait here in Florida. I have eaten gar a few times, we got them in a crystal clear spring fed run, not in the back waters or edge of lake ..it was good every time. I used to shoot Tilapia, you can eat them too.
Ewww i don't want to eat gar meat,their eggs or their balls. lol.I will just have to go hungry but i appreciate the heads up in case times get tough.I never knew it.
Arrowhead80, you made me laugh!
In one of his videos Fred Eichler shows how to fillet a gar that was bowfished in Florida. Ever since seeing that I've wanted to try it. I've never thought about eating any fish eggs though. Just think where they have been. Chicken eggs are ok ;) .
Thanks for the info., some of us didn't know that!
QuoteOriginally posted by The Vanilla Gorilla:
QuoteOriginally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
I thought everyone knew that! :scared:
Same here! Ironically, the guys name was Darwin... [/b]
Same here as well! Most folks around here, I live 1/2 a mile from Lake Richard B. Russell on the SC/GA border which is eat up with gar, won't touch 'em. A lot of folks jug fish and that's probably how a majority of the gar are taken out of Russell and they will just kill the fish and throw it back, which just kills me. They are a very fine eating fish with a little knowledge in the form of a suitable recipe like the gar balls. I have quit bowfishing Russell due to the Mercury level warnings but still enjoy taking gar for the frying pan out of the Saluda River!
I'm not a big fish eating fan but I will not pass up gar!
Eggs from Dogfish are poison also.
I gotta believe the only thing carp eggs are good for is a natural type of epoxy. Ever try to scrape them off the side of your boat or wash them out of the carpet.