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Rare Fish of the Week is back for an eleventh edition. This fish is certainly one of the most unusual fish that can be obtained, and the're pretty rare to boot.

RFotW #11 -- Polyodon spathula -- Mississippi Paddlefish



If there is a rare and unusual fish that can be picked, the Mississipi Paddlefish certainly fits the bill. This is one of the few North American fish that are remotely popular in the trade. Perhaps, this fish's close cousin, the Chinese Paddlefish, is kept more in the Eastern hemisphere, but certainly most US keepers will run into this species if they see a Paddlefish.

Certainly, the bill of the paddlefish makes it pretty unusual. It's covered with all sorts of sensors; the long nose is able to pick up tastes, smells, and even electrical fields.

So no, that nose isn't used to dig around through the substrate like once thought. Actually, these fish are filter feeders; often they'll just swim around with their mouths open so they can strain plankton from the water in a way reminiscent of a basking shark. It's thought that the long nose may also help channel plankton into the mouth. However, this is not to say small fish are unharmed; that massive mouth is quite capable of picking up small fish as well as pellets if the fish wishes to eat them. This is partially good, as it would be quite troublesome to have to feed enough plankton for this fish.

And you would need a LOT of plankton if that were your plan. The Mississipii Paddlefish can eventually grow to the enormous size of 7' long. Luckily, this fish is a coldwater one. This means there's no problem to digging a hole in your backyard and putting this fish in. This fish must have lots of room to swim, not only because of its large size but because of its filter feeding behavior that causes it to actively swim much of the time.

Well, why is this fish so rare? This fish is actually farmed, so one would think this fish would be quite common. However, this fish is generally not kept in the aquarium trade; they are farmed more for fishing and food purposes. Paddlefish, along with the Sturgeons, make up the single order Acipenseriformes; every single species is endangered. These fish are all popular for their caviar, and unfortunately because of this they have been fished to near extinction. Luckily, these farms prevent at least the Paddlefish and a few sturgeon species from going extinct; all Paddlefish in the trade likely come from such farms, so there is also no risk in endangering wild populations of this fish.

So... price. Well, this fish can catch prices of around $50-100. I don't see them very often so it's likely someone here may have seen a lower price on them.

Links:

http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=174&genusname=Polyodon&speciesname=spathula

Past RFOTW:
1. Polynemus paradiseus -- Paradise threadfin
2. Anableps anableps -- Four-Eyed Fish
3. Hypancistrus zebra -- Zebra Plec
4. Potamotrygon sp. -- Pearl Ray
5. Merodontotus Tigrinus -- Tigrinus Catfish, Zebra Shovelnose
6. Rhinopias aphanes -- Merlet's Scorpionfish, Lacy Scorpionfish
7. Tetraodon pustulatus
8. Astronotus orbicularis -- Bumblebee Oscar
9. Parambassis pulcinella -- Rhino Glassfish, Humphead Glassfish
10. Lepisosteus platyrhincus -- Golden Florida Gar

Last edited by Shinigami at 15-Nov-2004 17:46[/font]

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Cool. How about Freshwater pipefish or FW flounders somewhere down the line? (Not that I don't like your choices so far!)

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

Its Australian cousin the platypus says 'hi'.



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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

woohoo! I want one! (as I said in a "Dream tank" thread a week or so ago) They're awesome. I haven't seen a live one, but I have seen a couple lab specimens and photos...

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If you want to see them by the 100s, both adult and fry, go to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chatanooga. They have tank fulls of them. A truly awsome site.

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There is always a bigger fish...

Unfortunately:

http://www.okiefish.com/record%20Paddlefish.htm
http://www.in-fisherman.com/magazine/exclusives/if0403_Paddlefish/

i live right by the missouri river, so we catch them from time to time (usually you snag them by dragging a huge treble hook along the bottom)

Last edited by dakafall at 21-Nov-2004 15:16