Years ago, in a previous lifetime when I was at the San Antonio Light, I came upon a press release from a Texas A&M researcher who declared that the mesquite trees in Texas were "worthless" and had no commercial value.
I marveled at the ignorance and arrogance of the researcher. Those of us who live in South Texas knew a long time ago that if you are having a cookout or BBQ without mesquite, you are not barbecuing at all.
It would be a few years after I saw that story come off the UPI wire that the craze for mesquite wood took root and the rest, as they say, is cookout history. Now people from all over the country look for mesquite wood for their cookouts.
Worthless? Hardly. Between $5 to $10 per small bundle at the convenience store, actually.
Worthless? Hardly. Between $5 to $10 per small bundle at the convenience store, actually.
The same goes for something else that thrives locally. Now we find out that the so-called "trash" fish, alligator gar, or catan, is now valued by Texas anglers as a trophy fish.
While local fishermen may not prize it as a trophy, locals delight in munching on catan chicharrones. There are even local restaurants that specialize in preparing this fish.
I was reading today in the McAllen Monitor where the popularity of catan is reaching such proportions that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is limiting the number of gar that can be taken to one a day fearing that overfishing will deplete the population of this slow-reproducing fish. Rick Kelly writes:
"HARLINGEN — From trash fish to trophy, the homely alligator gar has come far in a short time.
The apex predator in most resacas and rivers in the Rio Grande Valley once was reviled, or at best dismissed, by most anglers as unworthy of targeting.
The prehistoric giants can grow to eight feet and nearly 300 pounds in Texas, with the state and world record alligator gar, or catan in Spanish, caught in the Rio Grande in 1951 by Bill Valverde. The trophy fish weighed 279 pounds.
But the alligator gar’s rising popularity among anglers who are now specifically targeting the species with heavier tackle is raising concerns about whether the numbers of large alligator gar can be sustained.
Until 2009, an angler could take as many alligator gar in Texas with rod-and-reel or by bow as they wanted. That’s when the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department issued its first bag limit of one alligator gar per day per fisherman.
Just nine years later, state fisheries officials are concerned the new enthusiasm anglers are showing the catan could be leading to overfishing of the species due to its slow reproductive rate."
Back in 2012, we wrote about locals' experiences with el catan. At the risk of beating on a dead gar, we reprint the post of this maligned fish:
SAN PEDRO – Even some of the local fishermen couldn’t believe it.
The splashing on the large concrete irrigation pipe sticking out of the muddy field between this town and Los Fresnos caught their attention as they headed to an isolated pond of irrigation water.
They knew there were gar there trapped after the fields dried up.
But when they peered down the four-foot circumference concrete tube, the sight of two large alligator gar thrashing because they were jammed in the concrete elbow made them catch their breath.
“I’d seen large gar before,” said Joe Luz Leiva. “But these two were giants. There was no way they were going to make it out the irrigation pipe. We had to go after them.”
The men eventually dropped a seine net (tarraya) into the pipe and snagged it with a wire after it draped over the struggling fish. Some tears were caused to the strong nylon netting by the razor sharp teeth of the fish. Afterward, two monsters, one almost seven feet long, writhed on the ground.
“Man, did we eat catan chicharrones (alligator gar fritters) that day,” Leiva recalled. Everybody in San Pedro got some and there were some left over.”
Alligator gar chicharrones have been a local delicacy here since anyone can remember. The Blue Mermaid Cafe and Seafood, 119 Billy Mitchell Blvd., has been selling catan chicharrones for almost 30 years. That menu entry has remained popular with local residents.
At Snodgrass Seafood employee said gar remains a popular choice for many local residents. He said the although many northern diners don’t have a taste for the fish, it has remained popular here.
“A lot of people who aren’t from here don’t have the tradition of eating gar at home,” he said. “But we sell a lot of it to the locals. It's more expensive than redfish.”
Snodgrass is no longer in business, but other seafood places still sell the pinkish-white meat. When you strip away its armor shell, the organ pouch is no bigger than your fist. The rest is all meat and a spine.
Economically, a plate of the chicharrones is not much more expensive than regular seafood, although it costs less than choice shrimp or beef.
A combination gar chicharron and shrimp plate sells for around $8.50. A pound of chicharrones alone including tortillas, salsa and limes averages about $11.50.
“That’s really not a bad deal for seafood,” said Paula Hernandez as she munched on some. “I love catan and so do my brothers.”
Visually, the fish is a fearsome animal.
Gar have traditionally been considered rough fish by the majority of anglers. However, for a relatively few mavericks gar fishing may be quite an exciting and enjoyable sport. In Texas, alligator gar up to 279 pounds have been captured by rod and reel anglers, and over 300 pounds by trotliners.
In the southeastern part of the state, including the Rio Grande Valley, gar are commonly accepted as a fine food fish. Alligator gar are often taken by by bowfishers or by anglers using nylon threads, rather than hooks, to entangle the fish's many sharp teeth.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife, the rod and reel world record alligator gar weighed 290 lb., and the trot line, or unrestricted division record weighed 302 lb. Both were caught in the Rio Grande River back in the 1950s, and measured a little over 7-1/2 ft in length.
Alligator gars are widely sought after by bowhunters, but a much smaller following of anglers fish for them for sport. The states of Texas and Louisiana permit regulated commercial fishing for alligator gars. However, in the rest of the state, unlike in the Rio Grande Valley, the demand is nominal.
“I’ve never eaten gar before, and I don’t know if I want to just looking at that animal,” said Doug Wolter, from southwestern Minnesota. “I’ve got a policy of not eating something that looks like it could eat me.”
Alligator gar are only present in the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain from the Econfina River in west Florida west and south to Veracruz, Mexico. There are no gar on the Pacific Ocean side. The species range extends north in the Mississippi River basin to the lower reaches of the Missouri and Ohio rivers. An isolated population also occurs in Nicaragua.
In Texas, alligator gar may be found in coastal rivers and streams from the Red River west to the Rio Grande.
Mesquite and catan, who woulda thunk, hey?
"HARLINGEN — From trash fish to trophy, the homely alligator gar has come far in a short time.
The apex predator in most resacas and rivers in the Rio Grande Valley once was reviled, or at best dismissed, by most anglers as unworthy of targeting.
The prehistoric giants can grow to eight feet and nearly 300 pounds in Texas, with the state and world record alligator gar, or catan in Spanish, caught in the Rio Grande in 1951 by Bill Valverde. The trophy fish weighed 279 pounds.
But the alligator gar’s rising popularity among anglers who are now specifically targeting the species with heavier tackle is raising concerns about whether the numbers of large alligator gar can be sustained.
Until 2009, an angler could take as many alligator gar in Texas with rod-and-reel or by bow as they wanted. That’s when the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department issued its first bag limit of one alligator gar per day per fisherman.
Just nine years later, state fisheries officials are concerned the new enthusiasm anglers are showing the catan could be leading to overfishing of the species due to its slow reproductive rate."
Back in 2012, we wrote about locals' experiences with el catan. At the risk of beating on a dead gar, we reprint the post of this maligned fish:
SAN PEDRO – Even some of the local fishermen couldn’t believe it.The splashing on the large concrete irrigation pipe sticking out of the muddy field between this town and Los Fresnos caught their attention as they headed to an isolated pond of irrigation water.
They knew there were gar there trapped after the fields dried up.
But when they peered down the four-foot circumference concrete tube, the sight of two large alligator gar thrashing because they were jammed in the concrete elbow made them catch their breath.
“I’d seen large gar before,” said Joe Luz Leiva. “But these two were giants. There was no way they were going to make it out the irrigation pipe. We had to go after them.”
The men eventually dropped a seine net (tarraya) into the pipe and snagged it with a wire after it draped over the struggling fish. Some tears were caused to the strong nylon netting by the razor sharp teeth of the fish. Afterward, two monsters, one almost seven feet long, writhed on the ground.
“Man, did we eat catan chicharrones (alligator gar fritters) that day,” Leiva recalled. Everybody in San Pedro got some and there were some left over.”
Alligator gar chicharrones have been a local delicacy here since anyone can remember. The Blue Mermaid Cafe and Seafood, 119 Billy Mitchell Blvd., has been selling catan chicharrones for almost 30 years. That menu entry has remained popular with local residents.
At Snodgrass Seafood employee said gar remains a popular choice for many local residents. He said the although many northern diners don’t have a taste for the fish, it has remained popular here.
“A lot of people who aren’t from here don’t have the tradition of eating gar at home,” he said. “But we sell a lot of it to the locals. It's more expensive than redfish.”
Snodgrass is no longer in business, but other seafood places still sell the pinkish-white meat. When you strip away its armor shell, the organ pouch is no bigger than your fist. The rest is all meat and a spine.
Economically, a plate of the chicharrones is not much more expensive than regular seafood, although it costs less than choice shrimp or beef.A combination gar chicharron and shrimp plate sells for around $8.50. A pound of chicharrones alone including tortillas, salsa and limes averages about $11.50.
“That’s really not a bad deal for seafood,” said Paula Hernandez as she munched on some. “I love catan and so do my brothers.”
Visually, the fish is a fearsome animal.
Gar have traditionally been considered rough fish by the majority of anglers. However, for a relatively few mavericks gar fishing may be quite an exciting and enjoyable sport. In Texas, alligator gar up to 279 pounds have been captured by rod and reel anglers, and over 300 pounds by trotliners.
In the southeastern part of the state, including the Rio Grande Valley, gar are commonly accepted as a fine food fish. Alligator gar are often taken by by bowfishers or by anglers using nylon threads, rather than hooks, to entangle the fish's many sharp teeth.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife, the rod and reel world record alligator gar weighed 290 lb., and the trot line, or unrestricted division record weighed 302 lb. Both were caught in the Rio Grande River back in the 1950s, and measured a little over 7-1/2 ft in length.
Alligator gars are widely sought after by bowhunters, but a much smaller following of anglers fish for them for sport. The states of Texas and Louisiana permit regulated commercial fishing for alligator gars. However, in the rest of the state, unlike in the Rio Grande Valley, the demand is nominal.
“I’ve never eaten gar before, and I don’t know if I want to just looking at that animal,” said Doug Wolter, from southwestern Minnesota. “I’ve got a policy of not eating something that looks like it could eat me.”
Alligator gar are only present in the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain from the Econfina River in west Florida west and south to Veracruz, Mexico. There are no gar on the Pacific Ocean side. The species range extends north in the Mississippi River basin to the lower reaches of the Missouri and Ohio rivers. An isolated population also occurs in Nicaragua.
In Texas, alligator gar may be found in coastal rivers and streams from the Red River west to the Rio Grande.
Mesquite and catan, who woulda thunk, hey?
4 comments:
You were never at the San Antonio Light, Montoya. Post an ID card or some evidence, bro. Lies!
With your posting abt the cost of a plate of catan I'm sure now it will go up thanks
I was at TSC in the early 60's when the Ft Brown resaca was drained to build the Ft. Brown Hotel and Apartments and a result, hundreds of catan and other fish were exposed as the water started diminishing. People came from all over with nets, spears and containers to catch these fish. I recall seeing lots of catan over six feet long. It was quite a sight.
They all most kill off a species of fish and it get glorified.
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