Paddlefish: photo and description, habitat, fishing, recipes

Paddlefish belongs to the ray-finned species of the paddlefish family, which are part of the sturgeon order. This fish is found mainly in the American Mississippi River, as well as in part of the rivers of the Gulf of Mexico. This is the only sturgeon whose diet consists of zoo- and phytoplankton. In this regard, they have a characteristic difference: they swim with their mouths open, while collecting plankton, after which they filter it through the gills.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has given the paddlefish Vulnerable status. This article will discuss the features of the behavior of the paddlefish, its habitats, reproduction, diet and fishing for the paddlefish.

Description of paddle fish

Appearance

The paddlefish is able to grow to gigantic sizes, with a body length of about 2 meters and a weight of almost 90 kilograms.

Almost a third of his body is a snout, resembling an oar. Thanks to this unique feature, the fish got its name, paddlefish.

There are practically no scales on the body of this fish, and a pair of short whiskers can be found in front. The mouth of the paddlefish is quite large.

It has one fin on its back, which is slightly shifted back and is almost at the level of the anal fin.

Basically, the color of the paddlefish is a dark gray tint when viewed from above. The sides and belly are lighter in color, although there are specimens that have almost the same shade over the entire surface of the body.

Where does the paddlefish live

This type of fish prefers fresh water reservoirs located in the east of America. Paddlefish meets:

• In the Mississippi River.
• In the Ohio River.
• In the Missouri River.
• In the Illinois River.
• In lakes whose waters are connected with the Mississippi River.
• In the rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico.

Paddlefish is an exclusively freshwater fish that stays away from the shore, at depths of about 3 meters.

In the spring-summer period, they approach closer to the surface of the water, and sometimes jump out of it.

As the water level in the rivers rises, paddlefish head to the lakes, where they wait for the moment when the water level does not reach the optimum value.

How paddlefish breed

Before the start of spawning, which takes place in the spring, paddlefish gather in numerous flocks. In the Mississippi River, this fish spawns in late April or early May. The area where this fish spawns can be up to 300 kilometers long, which corresponds to the distance from the mouth of the Ohio River to the mouth of the Illinois River. When the paddlefish spawns in the lake, it looks for areas with gravel placers, where the depth is from 4 to 6 meters, with a water temperature that has reached +16 degrees.

What is most interesting, the paddlefish does not spawn every year, but with periods of 4 to 7 years.

The female is able to lay from several tens to several hundred thousand eggs, while females begin to spawn when they reach 12-14 years of age. At this point, it grows to a length of one and a half meters. The paddlefish can live 50 years or more, so it can be safely called a long-liver.

What does a paddlefish eat

The diet of these fish consists of:

• from plankton.
• from insect larvae.
• From worms.
• From algae.
• from zooplankton.
• From other small arthropods.

Breeding and fishing

Since the second half of the 70s of the last century, the paddlefish was brought to the territory of the former Soviet Union, after which it began to be artificially grown.

Currently, this fish is bred in the fish farms of the Voronezh and Krasnodar reservoirs. No less actively this fish is bred in Ukraine.

In the United States of America, paddlefish fishing does not have large commercial volumes, despite the fact that this fish is quite valuable.

Paddlefish are harvested in large numbers in the Osage River, as well as in the Lake of the Ozarks. Despite the fact that the paddlefish inhabits many water bodies in America, it is still grown artificially in paid water bodies.

The breeding process is also associated with the fact that the fish does not require serious care. For its maintenance, a reservoir of 70 hectares is enough, where the water temperature is at around 22-25 degrees. It is desirable that there is vegetation in the reservoir, and silt is present at the bottom. The depth of the reservoir should be at least one and a half meters. After 2 or 3 years of life, the paddlefish gains weight of about 5 kilograms.

From 1 hectare of an artificial pond, you can get up to 100 kg of paddlefish, weighing about 2 kg each.

On an industrial scale, paddlefish are hunted with large nets, up to 3 km long and up to 10 meters wide. In some cases, it is caught with special wire tackle with hooks and sinkers, as well as gill nets.

paddlefish fishing

According to some fishermen, the paddlefish was caught in Lake Velikoye, in the Kostroma region, as well as in Primorye, in the Strugovsky reservoir. You can catch this fish on paid reservoirs, where the paddlefish is specially bred.

The paddlefish is caught mainly on deep tackle (feeder) and using ordinary worms as bait. Within the territory of Ukraine and Russia, the paddlefish does not grow to gigantic sizes, so only small individuals are caught on the hook.

The largest specimens are caught by American fishermen, where the paddlefish can weigh up to 100 kg with a length of up to 2 and a half meters.

Useful properties of paddlefish meat

Paddlefish meat is distinguished not only by its excellent taste, but also by its benefits, since it contains many vitamins and trace elements, as well as omega-3 fatty acids. Regular consumption of seafood has a positive effect on the work of many internal organs. Paddlefish is no exception in this regard. The meat of this fish has a beneficial effect on the functions of the organs of internal secretion, especially on the functioning of the thyroid gland. The presence of omega-3 fatty acids in fish meat helps to resist more serious diseases. The presence of vitamins and trace elements allows you to control the work of the cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal tract.

Paddlefish Recipes

Paddlefish ear

Soup Ingredients:

• Large individual, weighing about 7 kilograms.
• A couple of bulbs.
• Three carrots.
• Salt to taste.

How to cook the ear:

1. The fish is cleaned, gutted and washed, after which the head and tail are cut off.
2. Water is put on fire and brought to a boil, with the addition of salt.
3. Onions and carrots are added to boiling water.
4. After 15 minutes, the head, tail and pieces of fish are also added here.
5. If necessary, spices are added to the ear.
6. The dish is cooked for 20 minutes. During this period, you need to regularly remove the foam.
7. After readiness, the fish is pulled out of the dish and placed on a separate dish, and the broth is poured into plates.

Paddlefish skewers

To prepare such a simple dish you will need:

• The meat of a large fish.
• One liter of milk.
• Salt.
• Lemon.
• Greenery.

Technology of preparation:

1. The fish is cut into large pieces and watered with lemon juice.
2. Fish meat is salted and poured with milk, after which it must stand.
3. By the time it is cooked, the coals should be hot. Preferably. To make them oak.
4. The kebab is cooked for 15-20 minutes, until a golden crust appears.
5. Paddlefish skewers served with herbs and white wine.

Such a fish as paddlefish is quite rare in our area. This fish loves warmth, so it has not taken root in our wild reservoirs. Is it that in artificial reservoirs it is bred just as artificially. Due to the fact that this fish is rare for us, it is quite expensive and practically inaccessible. And, nevertheless, it is necessary to try the paddlefish kebab. Well, very tasty!