Paddlefish is a primitive fish with sharklike fins and an oarlike snout that extends out over the mouth. This snout gives the paddlefish its name.
The American paddlefish,
also called the Mississippi paddlefish and the spoon-billed catfish, lives in the rivers and reservoirs of the Mississippi River drainage system. It grows to more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) long and weighs up to 90 pounds (41 kilograms).
The paddlelike snout may be a sense organ, possibly used in locating the tiny organisms called plankton on which the fish feeds. The paddlefish catches food by straining water over its gills. A good quality of caviar is made from the fish’s roe (eggs). The fish’s flesh also is valued as food.
The Chinese paddlefish
historically inhabited the big rivers of China, but it is now extinct. The last recorded sighting of a Chinese paddlefish was in 2003. Overfishing and the building of the Gezhouba Dam on the Yangtze River contributed to its extinction.
The Chinese paddlefish was one of the largest freshwater fishes. It grew to 23 feet (7 meters) long and weighed about 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms).
