A fisheries biologist from the Allegheny National Forest Service saw this post and contacted the NYDEC (who was responsible for the stocking of paddlefish in Kinzua) about this situation. Apparently, all paddlefish are encoded with a wire tag in their snouts for age determination. The NYDEC wanted me to find Josh (McDunnoftheAllegheny) to see where the fish was so they could retrieve the tag.

After a phone call with a mutual friend of Josh and I, Josh went back and found the fish. Due to the severity of decomposition, Josh decided to saw off the snout so he could transport it easier. Finally, Josh and I connected on Saturday so he placed the snout in a very easy to find area. I just emailed the biologist with the exact location of the snout so they can retrieve it.

The moral of the story is if anyone happens to run across any dead paddlefish, try to contact the NYDEC (or post on this board or call my cell) with details.

Personally, I think it was a very cool thing that Josh and his buddy did by going back and dealing with the horrendous smell while they sawed away at the snout so the NYDEC could retrieve the tag. There was no reward being offered but these 2 guys spent their precious weekend fishing time just to help the cause.

As soon as I hear back from the NYDEC, I will post an update.