Paddlefish
Encyclopedia
Paddlefish are primitive Chondrostean ray-finned fishes. The paddlefish can be distinguished by its large mouth
and its elongated, spatula
-like snout
, called a rostrum
, which is longer than the rest of the head. These fish are not closely related to shark
s, which are in a different taxonomic class
, but they do have some body parts that resemble those of sharks such as their skeletons, primarily composed of cartilage
, and their deeply forked heterocercal tail fins. This type of fish's age is hard to determine but many scientists think that they live 50 years or more.
There are only two modern species of these fish: the Chinese paddlefish (Psephurus gladius) and the American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula). Both have declined greatly in abundance, and the Chinese species may now be extinct. In some areas, paddlefish are referred to as "Spoonbill", "Spoonies" or "Spoonbill Catfish". The American species is Missouri's State Aquatic Animal.
Polyodontidae
The Chinese paddlefish
(Psephurus gladius) is (or was) known only from the Yangtze River
in China
. Nine-foot (3-meter) specimens weighing 300 kilograms (661.4 lb) have been recorded, and reports of 7 metres (23 ft) fish exist, although the existence of such large specimens is doubtful. They may now be extinct, with a recently completed three-year survey of the Yangtze finding no specimens.
The American paddlefish
(Polyodon spathula) is currently known from the Mississippi River watershed
in the United States
, including slow-flowing waters of the Mississippi River
itself, as well as various tributaries including the Missouri River
, Ohio River
, Yellowstone River
, Wisconsin River
, Des Moines River
, and Arkansas River
systems. These fish were also found historically in Lake Erie
, in the Great Lakes
, but in May 2000, the Canadian Species at Risk Act listed the paddlefish as being extirpated in Canada
.
The American paddlefish is one of the largest freshwater fish in North America. They commonly reach 5 feet (1.5 m) or more in length and can weigh more than 60 pounds (27.2 kg). The largest American paddlefish on record, weighing 144 pounds (65.3 kg), was caught by Clinton Boldridge in the Atchison Watershed in Kansas
. The largest unofficial record was 206 pounds from Lake Cumberland
in Kentucky
; postcards from the 1960s show a photo of this huge fish.
Fossils of other kinds of paddlefish have been found. One such species is Crossopholis magnicaudatus, from the Eocene-age
Green River Shale deposit in Wyoming
.
Early investigators once thought that paddlefishes used their snouts to dig vegetation from the bottom of lakes and rivers. In fact, they feed by filtering out zooplankton
from the water, using filaments on their gill arches called gill rakers, and in this respect appear similar to the basking shark
.
As in many of the distantly related shark class, the paddlefish's rostrum contains electroreceptors
that can detect weak electrical fields, suggesting that they use their rostrum as an antenna
to detect zooplankton
. Even though the rostrum seems to help the fish feed, fish with severely damaged or missing rostrums are able to feed and appear to be just as healthy as other fish with them intact.
The rostrum also helps the fish to feed by acting as a stabilizer. As the fish moves through the water with its mouth open, the rostrum creates lift, much like a wing of an airplane. This helps the fish by keeping its head in a steady position and helps it keep from diving to the bottom.
Paddlefish lay their egg
s in midstream over bare rocks or gravel. The eggs are adhesive and stick to the rocky substrate. The young are swept downstream after hatching and grow to adulthood in deep freshwater pools.
, and river modification. One of the major reasons for declining paddlefish numbers are the dam
s constructed on many major U.S. river systems. Paddlefish avoid fish ladder
s because of the metal rebar
used in construction, which disrupts their electro-magnetic sense organs. The dams block paddlefish migration routes that are very important to the fish for spawning.
One other reason for the decreased numbers of paddlefish is overfishing. Pennsylvania
Fish and Boat Commissioners are reintroducing the species to historical habitats in the Ohio and Allegheny
rivers in an effort to establish a secure breeding population once again. Reintroduction efforts may take many years, since paddlefish mature slowly, lengthening the time required to establish a breeding population. Oklahoma
has drastically reduced sportfish harvest of paddlefish to one per person per day to help sustain populations. Paddlefish are a protected species in Wisconsin
, where they occur only in the Wisconsin River south of the Prairie Du Sac hydroelectric dam.
have been commercially exploited for their eggs (roe
), called caviar
. Paddlefish and sturgeon are two of the most important fish for freshwater caviar. Paddlefish take many years before they are able to spawn. A female may take nine to ten years, when they are about 42 inches long, and males seven-years-old and 40 inches long are able to spawn. The female releases adhesive eggs randomly over the water bottom and abandons them. They are capable of producing over a half million eggs a year, but they may not spawn every year.
The Oklahoma
Fish and Game Department set up Paddlefish Survey stations in various highly fished areas in the state. The Fish and Game biologists record length and weight measurements, and cut a portion of the lower jaw to determine age. To encourage participation in past surveys the Fish and Game Department has offered fish cleaning and preparation services, returning the cleaned fish in heat-sealed packaging, and has offered key tag souvenirs. The Fish and Game department keeps the eggs (roe
) for licensed resale, with the proceeds keep the study funded without expense to the public.
s, dredging, and water removal for agricultural use
reduces paddlefish spawning grounds.
Free-flowing lakes with reservoirs can also provide paddlefish breeding habitat. One such area is the Missouri River
-Lake Sakakawea
system in North Dakota
. This area is capable of producing good paddlefish numbers because it is a free-flowing system with many good areas for paddlefish to spawn.
, a spear
, or by snagging
(deliberately foul-hooking the fish in the fins or tail). Snagging is the usual method.
Poachers also use these methods to target paddlefish in areas where paddlefish fishing is not legal. Suspect paddlefish fishing activity can be reported to fish and wildlife officers who will verify legality. Some jurisdictions pay a financial reward to citizens whose report leads to prosecution of a poacher. One example is the Iowa DNR, and their Turn In Poachers (TIP) Program which was started in August 1985. The private TIP organization was established by concerned sportsmen and women under the guidance of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Bureau. Both groups recognized the need for an added dimension to fish and game law enforcement in the State of Iowa to aid in the fight against poaching.
Mouth
The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....
and its elongated, spatula
Spatula
The term spatula is used to refer to various small implements with a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread and lift materials including foods, drugs, plaster and paints...
-like snout
Snout
The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw.-Terminology:The term "muzzle", used as a noun, can be ambiguous...
, called a rostrum
Rostrum (anatomy)
The term rostrum is used for a number of unrelated structures in different groups of animals:*In crustaceans, the rostrum is the forward extension of the carapace in front of the eyes....
, which is longer than the rest of the head. These fish are not closely related to shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s, which are in a different taxonomic class
Class (biology)
In biological classification, class is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, order, family, genus, and species, with class fitting between phylum and order...
, but they do have some body parts that resemble those of sharks such as their skeletons, primarily composed of cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
, and their deeply forked heterocercal tail fins. This type of fish's age is hard to determine but many scientists think that they live 50 years or more.
There are only two modern species of these fish: the Chinese paddlefish (Psephurus gladius) and the American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula). Both have declined greatly in abundance, and the Chinese species may now be extinct. In some areas, paddlefish are referred to as "Spoonbill", "Spoonies" or "Spoonbill Catfish". The American species is Missouri's State Aquatic Animal.
Classification
There are two currently or recently extant genera in this family and four (if not five) extinct genera:Polyodontidae
- Subfamily †ExtinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
Paleopsephurinae- Genus †PaleopsephurusPaleopsephurusPaleopsephurus is an extinct genus of paddlefish in the Acipenseriformes family Polyodontidae. At present the genus contains the single species Paleopsephurus wilsoni....
MacAlpin, 1947- Species †Paleopsephurus wilsoniPaleopsephurusPaleopsephurus is an extinct genus of paddlefish in the Acipenseriformes family Polyodontidae. At present the genus contains the single species Paleopsephurus wilsoni....
MacAlpin, 1947
- Species †Paleopsephurus wilsoni
- Genus †Paleopsephurus
- Subfamily Polyodontinae
- Genus †Crossopholis CopeEdward Drinker CopeEdward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen...
, 1883- Species †Crossopholis magnicaudatus Cope, 1883
- Genus Polyodon Lacépède, 1797
- Polyodon spathula WalbaumJohann Julius WalbaumJohann Julius Walbaum was a physician, naturalist and taxonomist. He was the first to describe many previously unknown species from remote parts of the globe, such as the Great Barracuda , the Chum salmon from the Kamchatka River in Siberia, and the curimatá-pacú Johann Julius Walbaum (30 June...
, 1792 American paddlefishAmerican PaddlefishThe American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, also called the Mississippi paddlefish or spoonbill, is a paddlefish living in slow-flowing waters of the Mississippi River drainage system. It appears to have been extirpated from Lake Erie and its tributaries. They are closely related to the sturgeons... - †Polyodon tuberculata Grande & Bemis, 1991
- Polyodon spathula Walbaum
- Genus Psephurus Günther, 1873
- Psephurus gladius E. von MartensEduard von MartensEduard von Martens sometimes known as Carl or Karl Eduard von Martens, was a German zoologist.Born in Stuttgart in 1831, von Martens attended universities in Tübingen, Stuttgart and Munich, graduating from the University of Tübingen in 1855. In 1860, he set off as part of an expedition to the Far...
, 1862 Chinese paddlefishChinese PaddlefishChinese Paddlefish, Psephurus gladius , also known as Chinese Swordfish, are among the largest freshwater fish. It is one of two extant paddlefish species, the other being the American Paddlefish . It is also called "elephant fish" because its snout resembles an elephant trunk...
(Not recently verified extant, and perhaps now extinct)
- Psephurus gladius E. von Martens
- Genus †Crossopholis Cope
- Subfamily †Protopsephurinae Grande & Bemis, 1996
- Genus †Protopsephurus Lu, 1994
- Species †Protopsephurus liui Lu, 1994
- Genus †Protopsephurus Lu, 1994
The Chinese paddlefish
Chinese Paddlefish
Chinese Paddlefish, Psephurus gladius , also known as Chinese Swordfish, are among the largest freshwater fish. It is one of two extant paddlefish species, the other being the American Paddlefish . It is also called "elephant fish" because its snout resembles an elephant trunk...
(Psephurus gladius) is (or was) known only from the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Nine-foot (3-meter) specimens weighing 300 kilograms (661.4 lb) have been recorded, and reports of 7 metres (23 ft) fish exist, although the existence of such large specimens is doubtful. They may now be extinct, with a recently completed three-year survey of the Yangtze finding no specimens.
The American paddlefish
American Paddlefish
The American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, also called the Mississippi paddlefish or spoonbill, is a paddlefish living in slow-flowing waters of the Mississippi River drainage system. It appears to have been extirpated from Lake Erie and its tributaries. They are closely related to the sturgeons...
(Polyodon spathula) is currently known from the Mississippi River watershed
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including slow-flowing waters of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
itself, as well as various tributaries including the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, Yellowstone River
Yellowstone River
The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, the river and its tributaries drain a wide area stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National...
, Wisconsin River
Wisconsin River
-External links:* * * , Wisconsin Historical Society* * * *...
, Des Moines River
Des Moines River
The Des Moines River is a tributary river of the Mississippi River, approximately long to its farther headwaters, in the upper Midwestern United States...
, and Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
systems. These fish were also found historically in Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
, but in May 2000, the Canadian Species at Risk Act listed the paddlefish as being extirpated in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The American paddlefish is one of the largest freshwater fish in North America. They commonly reach 5 feet (1.5 m) or more in length and can weigh more than 60 pounds (27.2 kg). The largest American paddlefish on record, weighing 144 pounds (65.3 kg), was caught by Clinton Boldridge in the Atchison Watershed in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. The largest unofficial record was 206 pounds from Lake Cumberland
Lake Cumberland
Lake Cumberland is a reservoir in Clinton, Laurel, McCreary, Pulaski, Russell, and Wayne counties in Kentucky. The primary reasons for its construction were a means for flood control and the production of hydroelectric power. Its shoreline measures 1,255 miles and the lake is spread over at the...
in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
; postcards from the 1960s show a photo of this huge fish.
Fossils of other kinds of paddlefish have been found. One such species is Crossopholis magnicaudatus, from the Eocene-age
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
Green River Shale deposit in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
Physical characteristics
Zooplankton
Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word "zooplankton" is derived from the Greek zoon , meaning "animal", and , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter"...
from the water, using filaments on their gill arches called gill rakers, and in this respect appear similar to the basking shark
Basking shark
The basking shark is the second largest living fish, after the whale shark. It is a cosmopolitan migratory species, found in all the world's temperate oceans. It is a slow moving and generally harmless filter feeder and has anatomical adaptations to filter feeding, such as a greatly enlarged...
.
As in many of the distantly related shark class, the paddlefish's rostrum contains electroreceptors
Electroreception
Electroreception is the biological ability to perceive natural electrical stimuli. It has been observed only in aquatic or amphibious animals, since water is a much better conductor than air. Electroreception is used in electrolocation and for electrocommunication.- Overview :Electroreception is...
that can detect weak electrical fields, suggesting that they use their rostrum as an antenna
Antenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
to detect zooplankton
Zooplankton
Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word "zooplankton" is derived from the Greek zoon , meaning "animal", and , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter"...
. Even though the rostrum seems to help the fish feed, fish with severely damaged or missing rostrums are able to feed and appear to be just as healthy as other fish with them intact.
The rostrum also helps the fish to feed by acting as a stabilizer. As the fish moves through the water with its mouth open, the rostrum creates lift, much like a wing of an airplane. This helps the fish by keeping its head in a steady position and helps it keep from diving to the bottom.
Paddlefish lay their egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s in midstream over bare rocks or gravel. The eggs are adhesive and stick to the rocky substrate. The young are swept downstream after hatching and grow to adulthood in deep freshwater pools.
Status
Paddlefish were at one time very abundant in most central U.S. river systems, but populations have declined greatly due to overharvesting, sedimentationSedimentation
Sedimentation is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained, and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration...
, and river modification. One of the major reasons for declining paddlefish numbers are the dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s constructed on many major U.S. river systems. Paddlefish avoid fish ladder
Fish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish steps, is a structure on or around artificial barriers to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration. Most fishways enable fish to pass around the barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps into the waters on...
s because of the metal rebar
Rebar
A rebar , also known as reinforcing steel, reinforcement steel, rerod, or a deformed bar, is a common steel bar, and is commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures holding the concrete in compression...
used in construction, which disrupts their electro-magnetic sense organs. The dams block paddlefish migration routes that are very important to the fish for spawning.
One other reason for the decreased numbers of paddlefish is overfishing. Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Fish and Boat Commissioners are reintroducing the species to historical habitats in the Ohio and Allegheny
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
rivers in an effort to establish a secure breeding population once again. Reintroduction efforts may take many years, since paddlefish mature slowly, lengthening the time required to establish a breeding population. Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
has drastically reduced sportfish harvest of paddlefish to one per person per day to help sustain populations. Paddlefish are a protected species in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, where they occur only in the Wisconsin River south of the Prairie Du Sac hydroelectric dam.
Caviar harvest
During the last century, paddlefish and sturgeonSturgeon
Sturgeon is the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common...
have been commercially exploited for their eggs (roe
Roe
Roe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
), called caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
. Paddlefish and sturgeon are two of the most important fish for freshwater caviar. Paddlefish take many years before they are able to spawn. A female may take nine to ten years, when they are about 42 inches long, and males seven-years-old and 40 inches long are able to spawn. The female releases adhesive eggs randomly over the water bottom and abandons them. They are capable of producing over a half million eggs a year, but they may not spawn every year.
The Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
Fish and Game Department set up Paddlefish Survey stations in various highly fished areas in the state. The Fish and Game biologists record length and weight measurements, and cut a portion of the lower jaw to determine age. To encourage participation in past surveys the Fish and Game Department has offered fish cleaning and preparation services, returning the cleaned fish in heat-sealed packaging, and has offered key tag souvenirs. The Fish and Game department keeps the eggs (roe
Roe
Roe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
) for licensed resale, with the proceeds keep the study funded without expense to the public.
Current threats
Paddlefish are targeted by poachers for their valuable eggs, and are protected by law over a large part of their range. Habitat destruction is also causing their numbers to decrease more rapidly. Paddlefish need free-flowing rivers that have shallow pools with sandy, rocky bottoms for their spawning. Water temperature is also important for spawning. Modification of rivers by the construction of damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s, dredging, and water removal for agricultural use
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
reduces paddlefish spawning grounds.
Free-flowing lakes with reservoirs can also provide paddlefish breeding habitat. One such area is the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
-Lake Sakakawea
Lake Sakakawea
Lake Sakakawea is a reservoir in the Missouri River basin in central North Dakota. Named for the Shoshone-Hidatsa woman Sakakawea, it is the third largest man-made lake in the United States, after Lake Mead and Lake Powell. The lake lies in parts of six counties in western North Dakota: Dunn,...
system in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. This area is capable of producing good paddlefish numbers because it is a free-flowing system with many good areas for paddlefish to spawn.
Fishing for paddlefish
In most of its range the paddlefish is a protected species, and fishing for paddlefish is illegal in many areas. Any paddlefish caught accidentally should be released unharmed as quickly as possible. However, a few states still allow sport fishing for paddlefish. Because paddlefish are filter feeders, they do not take conventional lures. Taking paddlefish is done with a bow and arrowBowfishing
Bowfishing is a method of fishing that uses specialized archery equipment to shoot and retrieve fish. Fish are shot with a barbed arrow that is attached with special line to a reel mounted on the bow. Some freshwater species commonly hunted include common carp, grass carp, bighead carp, alligator...
, a spear
Spearfishing
Spearfishing is an ancient method of fishing that has been used throughout the world for millennia. Early civilizations were familiar with the custom of spearing fish from rivers and streams using sharpened sticks....
, or by snagging
Snagging
Snagging, also known as snag fishing, snatch fishing, or foul hooking, is a common term used to describe a method of fishing that entails catching a fish using hooks without the fish having to take the bait with their mouth...
(deliberately foul-hooking the fish in the fins or tail). Snagging is the usual method.
Poachers also use these methods to target paddlefish in areas where paddlefish fishing is not legal. Suspect paddlefish fishing activity can be reported to fish and wildlife officers who will verify legality. Some jurisdictions pay a financial reward to citizens whose report leads to prosecution of a poacher. One example is the Iowa DNR, and their Turn In Poachers (TIP) Program which was started in August 1985. The private TIP organization was established by concerned sportsmen and women under the guidance of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Bureau. Both groups recognized the need for an added dimension to fish and game law enforcement in the State of Iowa to aid in the fight against poaching.
External links
- The Chinese Paddlefish Website - containing many photographs of Psepherus.
- ARKive - images and movies of the paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)
- FishBase entry for Polyodontidae
- USGS UMESC Paddlefish Study
- Sites.state.pa.us
- Fisheries.org
- DNR.state.oh.us
- Stochastic synchronization of electroreceptors in the paddlefish