Hundreds Of Prehistoric Fish Released Into Texas Lake

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Over 1,000 prehistoric fish have been released in a Texas lake in an effort to save the threatened species.

Paddlefish now fill Caddo Lake in East Texas, according to KLTV. "Oh my gosh! Today is a great day," said Caddo Lake Institute Executive Director Laura-Ashley Overdyke.

Caddo Lake was home base for paddlefish until the 1950s when a dam was built, which damaged the water flow needed for fish to survive, the news outlet reported. Several state agencies have been working together in recent years to bring the paddlefish population back to where it was.

"This fish is the oldest surviving species on our continent. It’s 350 million years old, which makes it 50 million years older than the dinosaurs," Overdyke said. This species now thriving in Caddo Lake is the only species of paddlefish remaining on the planet.

This addition of paddlefish into Caddo Lake is part of a 10-year plan that started in 2018 which aims to release 10,000 to 14,000 fish into the lake.


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