Page 39 - March/April 2020 - Outdoor Oklahoma

KeLLY AdAMS/odWC

by all states in the historic range, which Research Center (PRC) near Miami,
calls for collaborative efforts in man- Okla., uses angler-harvested speci- KeLLY AdAMS/odWC
agement and restoration. mens to collect data for stock assess-
Due to population declines in ment while providing funds for
Texas, the paddlefish is considered a conservation and research through
protected species, where regulations paddlefish caviar sales. The PRC has
prohibit catching, killing or harming allowed the Department to collect vol-
them in any way. Department and umes of biological, ecological, physio-
USFWS biologists also collect paddle- logical, genetic and sociological data
fish broodstock on the Red River for on paddlefish and paddlefish anglers,
restoration projects in Texas. which would have been next-to-im-
In Oklahoma, the situation is much possible through any other means.
different. Compared to surrounding The PRC is just one piece of the
states, Oklahoma hosts abundant puzzle, however. Much of Oklahoma’s
paddlefish populations and is known paddlefish success can be attribut-
worldwide for its paddlefish snagging ed to collaborative efforts between
opportunities. Many factors contrib- state and federal government agen-
ute to Oklahoma’s paddlefish success, cies, and their efforts to reintroduce
but perhaps none more than a staff of this species throughout its range. Eggs and milt are mixed, and water is
fisheries biologists dedicated to pad- Producing young paddlefish for added to activate the milt so the eggs will
be fertilized. The fertilized eggs are added
dlefish research, management and redistribution and restoration is to jars and are “rolled” with water and
conservation. quite a process and no easy feat. oxygen. In about five days, the eggs hatch.
The Department’s Paddlefish Every spring, Department and

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