Caviar scheme: Biologist stole fish eggs taken for research, Wisconsin officials say
A Wisconsin state biologist is charged in a scheme to use fish eggs from research labs to make caviar for himself and other employees, authorities say.
Ryan Koenigs, the top sturgeon biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, was charged Friday with misdemeanor theft.
Earlier this week, he was charged with obstructing a game warden after the years-long investigation into the illegal sale and bartering of lake sturgeon eggs in the Lake Winnebago area.
Koenigs was charged days before Wisconsin’s unique sturgeon spearing season, from which authorities say he has personally benefited while overseeing the species’ population.
An attorney for Koenigs was not listed in online court records, according to the Associated Press.
Lake sturgeon season
Lake sturgeon are massive fish with highly coveted eggs for processing caviar — which can sell for more than $100 an ounce, officials say. Home to one of the richest populations of lake sturgeon in North America, the Winnebago system hosts an annual sturgeon spearing season, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
“Lake Sturgeon and many sturgeon species are rare and are currently threatened, endangered, and even extinct in parts of the United States and world, making Wisconsin’s harvest season unique,” officials said in a criminal complaint.
Wisconsin’s sturgeon spearing season starts Saturday and last 16 days or until a quota of fish are caught.
“The season has grown into a unique cultural event that is rich in tradition,” according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website. “Most spearers fish in groups comprised of family and friends. Each spearing group has their own traditions that they celebrate with each passing year and the season for most is defined by the time spent with loved ones, not the harvesting of a fish.”
Caviar scheme
However, authorities say criminal activity has recently marked the harvest. In the past several years, federal and state wildlife authorities have investigated reports of illegal sales and bartering of sturgeon eggs, or roe, in the Lake Winnebago area.
“The investigation revealed that a number of citizens were making caviar for others, and were accepting sturgeon roe or finished caviar in exchange for their services, which is an illegal barter,” according to the complaint. “The investigation further revealed a concerted effort to funnel sturgeon roe to particular processors for caviar production by DNR staff.”
Koenigs is accused of overseeing an operation to collect fish eggs from sturgeon anglers for research, then giving roe to caviar processors, authorities say. In turn, the caviar was provided to the processors, department of natural resources employees and others connected to them, authorities say.
A former state biologist told investigators that employees split up the caviar to be eaten at team meetings, provided to local bars and for personal use.
“Basically we distributed among ourselves and had a good old time with it,” a different employee said, according to the complaint.
Investigation of Koenigs
Koenigs allowed a former biologist, who became a caviar processor, into a department of natural resources building after hours to access fish eggs intended for research, authorities say. The caviar processor estimated in 2015 alone he collected 65 pounds of roe, enough to produce $100,000 in caviar, authorities say.
According to the complaint, the processor said that in 2017 he provided Koenigs with six 8-ounce jars and 30 4-ounce jars of caviar — totaling an estimated market value of $20,000.
During the investigation, a investigators reviewed data on Koenigs work cell phone and noticed no calls, texts or browsing from the date it was issued in February 2019 to April 2020, according to the complaint. The investigator discovered evidence that an unapproved factory reset was performed on the phone after Koenigs was interviewed by authorities.
In the obstruction charge, Koenigs is accused of lying to investigators, telling them employees return the eggs after being studied or return them to spearers, The Associated Press reported. He later told investigators his employees take eggs from five or six sturgeon and he accepted 20 to 30 jars annually, which he kept or disbursed to co-workers, the AP reported.
A spokeswoman told the AP that Koenigs was put on leave Thursday.
As of Friday, three more people had been charged with misdemeanors in the wide-ranging sturgeon caviar investigation, the AP reported.
