Relative of Indiana's former 'Caviar King' to pay $70,000 in paddlefish poaching case

Nearly one year after pleading guilty to illegally harvesting paddlefish in the Ohio River, the son-in-law of Indiana's former "Caviar King" was sentenced last week in federal court.

Joseph Schigur of English, Ind. will have to serve five years of probation, including six months of home confinement, and perform 40 hours of community service. U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole of the Southern District of Ohio also fined Schigur $5,500 and ordered him to pay nearly $65,000 in restitution.

Schigur pleaded guilty in May 2021 to violating the federal Lacey Act after a years-long undercover wildlife poaching investigation. That same investigation, known as Operation Charlie, sent Schigur's father-in-law, David Cox, to federal prison in 2018.

Schigur's guilty plea is in connection to three outings on the Ohio River in 2015 and 2016. During those fishing trips, he and a conservation officer working undercover hauled in more than 100 paddlefish from waters that are closed to commercial fishing.

The American paddlefish, also called a "primitive fish," is an odd-looking prehistoric creature found in the Ohio River. It is one of the largest fish found in its native Ohio River and can grow up to 6 feet long and weigh 100 pounds.

These fish can take as many as 10 years before they can reproduce, and large mature females can produce more than 500,000 eggs. The paddlefish provides a high-quality substitute to the caviar from European beluga sturgeon, which has become more scarce due to overfishing.

Paddlefish: Paddlefish poaching probe nets son-in-law of Indiana 'caviar king'

Violation of wildlife trafficking law

Federal prosecutors said that Schigur obtained roughly 1,400 pounds of fish meat and 72 pounds of caviar from the three fishing trips in waters that are controlled by the state of Ohio.

Schigur harvested the paddlefish and roe in violation of Ohio law, which does not allow the commercial harvest of paddlefish. Paddlefish are listed as a threatened species under Ohio law, but commercial fishermen are allowed to net them in portions of the river controlled by Indiana and Kentucky.

These actions also violated the federal Lacey Act, the nation's oldest wildlife trafficking statute. It prohibits transporting wildlife in interstate commerce if the wildlife was illegal under state laws.