Paddlefish

Researchers once believed that the paddle was used as a shovel to find food; later, it was discovered that sensory organs cover the paddle, which is used to find food. The primary food sources for adult paddlefish are very small animals and insect larvae called zooplankton. Adults filter plankton using their gill rakers. Young paddlefish eat insects and large zooplankton. They are well-adapted to river systems, preferring large reservoirs and free-flowing rivers. Paddlefish spawn in late March or early April when water temperatures are between 58ºF and 62ºF. These fish spawn in swift-moving river waters with gravel bottoms. Paddlefish are most abundant in Mississippi in the Mississippi River and Delta rivers and oxbows.