Rep ese tative
Image
(Ca va)
A
paddlefish
tagged
by
No th
Dakota
fishe ies
biologists
i
2007
has
p ovided
a
ext ao di a y
glimpse
i to
the
lo gevity
a d
g owth
of
o e
of
No th
Ame ica’s
oldest
fish
species.
As
detailed
i
the
No th
Dakota
Outdoo s
magazi e
published
by
the
No th
Dakota
Game
a d
Fish
Depa tme t,
the
fish
was
o igi ally
eco ded
at
87
pou ds
befo e
bei g
eleased
i to
Lake
Sakakawea.
Eightee
yea s
late ,
du i g
the
2025
paddlefish
s aggi g
seaso ,
a
a gle
caught
the
ve y
same
fish
upst eam
of
Willisto .
By
the ,
it
had
g ow
to
98
pou ds
a d
measu ed
th ee
i ches
lo ge ,
offe i g
scie tists
a e
lo g-te m
data
o
the
life
of
a
i dividual
paddlefish.
A
18-yea
jou ey
f om
hatche y
to
eco d
books
The
sto y
bega
i
the
sp i g
of
2007
whe
No th
Dakota
Game
a d
Fish
Depa tme t
biologists
etted
the
female
paddlefish
ea
the
Mo ta a
bo de
o
the
Yellowsto e
Rive .
I stead
of
eleasi g
it
immediately,
biologists
t a spo ted
the
fish
to
the
Ga iso
Dam
Natio al
Fish
Hatche y,
whe e
it
se ved
as
a
b ood
fish.
Its
eggs
we e
collected
to
p oduce
fi ge li g
paddlefish
fo
stocki g
p og ammes
aimed
at
suppo ti g
healthy
fish
populatio s.
Afte
spaw i g,
the
fish
was
fitted
with
a
jaw
tag
ca yi g
the
ide tificatio
umbe
ND
8841
a d
eleased
i to
Gove me t
Bay
o
Lake
Sakakawea
i
ea ly
Ju e.
At
the
time,
it
measu ed
48
i ches
f om
the
eye
to
the
fo k
of
the
tail
a d
weighed
87
pou ds.
Fo
ea ly
two
decades,
the
paddlefish
emai ed
i
the
vast
Missou i
Rive
system.The ,
o
May
2,
2025,
du i g
No th
Dakota’s
a ual
paddlefish
s aggi g
seaso ,
a
a gle
ha vested
the
fish
upst eam
of
Willisto .
Fishe ies
staff
ide tified
the
tag
a d
co fi med
it
was
the
same
i dividual
eleased
18
yea s
ea lie .
By
the ,
the
paddlefish
measu ed
51
i ches
f om
eye
to
fo k
a d
weighed
98
pou ds,
mea i g
it
had
gai ed
11
pou ds
while
co ti ui g
to
g ow
i
le gth.
Rep ese tative
Image
(Ca va)
Why
tagged
fish
a e
so
valuable
to
scie tists
Acco di g
to
the
No th
Dakota
Game
a d
Fish
Depa tme t,
fish-taggi g
studies
p ima ily
estimate
exploitatio
ates:
the
p opo tio
of
a
fish
populatio
ha vested
by
a gle s
each
yea .
This
i fo matio
helps
biologists
dete mi e
whethe
fishi g
egulatio s
a e
sustai able
a d
e su es
healthy
fish
populatio s
fo
the
futu e.
Howeve ,
tagged
fish
ofte
eveal
mo e
tha
just
ha vest
ates.Whe
tagged
i dividuals
a e
ecaptu ed
yea s
late ,
scie tists
ca
lea
about
g owth,
su vival,
moveme t
patte s,
spaw i g
behaviou
a d
habitat
use.
I
the
case
of
paddlefish,
these
data
a e
especially
valuable
because
the
species
matu es
slowly
a d
ca
live
fo
ma y
decades.The
ediscove y
of
paddlefish
ND
8841
illust ates
the
valuable
lo g-te m
i sights
that
taggi g
p og ammes
ca
p ovide,
docume ti g
ea ly
two
decades
of
g owth
i
a
si gle
fish.
A
livi g
fossil
that
ca
su vive
fo
decades
Paddlefish
(Polyodo
spathula)
a e
amo g
the
oldest
su vivi g
fish
species
i
No th
Ame ica,
with
a cesto s
dati g
back
mo e
tha
100
millio
yea s.
Ofte
called
“livi g
fossils,”
they
have
cha ged
little
si ce
the
age
of
the
di osau s.
Thei
most
disti ctive
featu e
is
the
lo g,
paddle-shaped
s out,
o
ost um,
which
is
cove ed
with
se so y
o ga s
that
help
detect
ti y
zoopla kto
d ifti g
th ough
the
wate .
Rathe
tha
chasi g
p ey,
paddlefish
swim
with
thei
mouths
ope ,
filte i g
mic oscopic
o ga isms
f om
the
wate
th ough
specialised
gill
ake s.The
species
is
also
k ow
fo
its
imp essive
lifespa .
Females
ge e ally
live
lo ge
tha
males
a d
ca
su vive
fo
mo e
tha
60
yea s
u de
favou able
co ditio s.
They
also
do
ot
spaw
eve y
yea ,
typically
ep oduci g
o ly
o ce
eve y
two
o
th ee
yea s
whe
ive
co ditio s
a e
suitable.No th
Dakota
suppo ts
o e
of
the
healthiest
emai i g
paddlefish
populatio s
i
the
U ited
States,
la gely
due
to
the
co ected
habitats
of
Lake
Sakakawea
a d
the
Yellowsto e
a d
Missou i
ive s.
Mai tai i g
these
habitats
is
co side ed
esse tial
because
paddlefish
equi e
specific
combi atio s
of
ive
flow,
wate
tempe atu e
a d
clea
g avel
beds
fo
successful
spaw i g.The
ema kable
ecaptu e
of
ND
8841
illust ates
ot
o ly
how
esilie t
these
a cie t
fish
ca
be
but
also
why
lo g- u i g
taggi g
p og ammes
emai
i valuable.
A
simple
metal
tag
attached
i
2007
allowed
biologists
to
follow
o e
paddlefish’s
sto y
ac oss
18
yea s,
addi g
a othe
piece
to
the
puzzle
of
u de sta di g
a d
co se vi g
o e
of
No th
Ame ica’s
most
ema kable
f eshwate
species.
