Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
[Kevin Mayes] They've been around for 300 million years.
[Narrator] A prehistoric fish is being returned to one
of the most timeless lakes in Texas.
[Bob Sanders] We're ready for the paddlefish. (laughs)
We're ready.
((birds))
[Tim Bister] There's no other place in Texas quite like
Caddo Lake, with the cypress trees and the Spanish moss.
[Rick Lowerre] It's magical, it's mysterious. It is one
of the jewels, one of the really beautiful places in Texas.
((underwater sound))
[Tim Bister] Paddlefish were in this system at one time
and they're not here anymore because of the river fragmentation.
((water flowing))
[Pete Diaz doing surgery] The tag is in, and we will sew up the fish.
[Tim Bister] The Fish and Wildlife Service working with
other groups like the Caddo Lake Institute, The Nature Conservancy, The Corps of Engineers,
USGS, Parks and Wildlife, they've actually implanted radio transmitters in about forty
seven paddlefish and they're going to release them and track them for a period of about
six months.
((beeping))
[Pete to Mike] Mid-channel?
[Mike to Pete] Right in the middle of the river.
((truck pulling up))
[Tim Bister] I think if we just came and put paddlefish
back in the river with nothing else happening, chances of their success would be low. There
are a lot of pieces to this project, and a lot of different groups working on it.
((pump starts))
[Tim to crew] Healthy fish. They look great.
[Tim] Paddlefish are a very unique species, they
are on the threatened species list in Texas.
[Rick Lowerre] They're older than dinosaurs, they're
just fantastic fish. Today we're going to release about fifty of them.
[Robert Speight] You do not forget them when you see one.
[Onlookers react] Amazing!
[Tim] All the incisions look good.
[Pete] Everything's going great--the fish look
good.
((splashing))
((water flowing))
[Kevin Mayes] In the springtime, during their spawning season,
they need a high-flow pulse to find their spawning grounds and to lay eggs in the fast
current in the river.
((rushing water))
[Tim Bister] Really for about ten years many groups have
been working on mimicking these natural flows.
[Rick Lowerre] Lake O' the Pines has been great as a flood
control structure, it's provided lots of water supply for many of the cities. So now
we're just asking to add a third feature, which is releases for fish and wildlife.
[Robert Speight] I think the paddlefish is the means to an
end. I mean we like to see the paddlefish in here, obviously. But that in turn helps
a lot of other species, a lot of other things in the environment, so it's a win-win. It's
really gratifying to see this day come. We've all been working at it for many years, and
to see this release happen today, it's just a good day for the fish and a good day for
East Texas and for Caddo.
((applause))