Deep beneath the surface of Texas’ only naturally formed lake there used to swim a massive, open-mouthed dinosaur-era fish with a long snout and prized caviar. Now, decades after the paddlefish was almost completely wiped out, it’s coming back to Caddo Lake.
Primitive-looking paddlefish, known for their elongated, spatula-like snouts, were at one time very abundant in many U.S. river systems, but populations have declined greatly due to over-harvesting (for their freshwater eggs), sedimentation and dam construction.
The species is protected from poaching by law over a large part of their range.
(READ the AP story in Deseret News)