Tuesday, May 5th 2009, 9:12 pm
By Melissa Maynarich, NEWS 9
Anglers from around the world travel to Oklahoma hoping to snag a prehistoric fish.
The paddlefish, found in the Grand Lake river system in northeast Oklahoma, have out lived other species over millions of years, including dinosaurs.
"They're very tough fish," said Brent Gordon of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. "They've gone through lots of changes, and still managed to survive.
Paddlefish, sometimes referred to as the Spoonbill, use cartilage inside their mouths to filter through zoo-plankton in the water.
More on News9.com: Oklahoma paddlefish, as good as gold
"They're swimming through the water with their mouth wide open," Gordon said. "That bill helps keep them upright and they're filtering that water as it goes through.
Fishermen use a weight and a large hook to catch the paddlefish, casting their line and swaying back and forth until they hook one.
"When we bring it in, we just bring it in a sweeping motion," said Nels Rodefeld of ODWC. "We reel and sweep the rod, reel up and sweep the rod."
Researchers believe there are around 70,000 paddlefish in the Grand River system.
The paddlefish also produce caviar, and although it's not considered as luxurious as imported beluga, the wildlife department is able to fund the Paddlefish research by selling its caviar oversees.
May 5th, 2009
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