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Shreveport Aquarium will celebrate the second annual Paddlefish Day on Saturday, March 7 at the aquarium from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The aquarium, in partnership with Planet Aqua Group and Caddo Lake Institute has been rearing this threatened species for release into Caddo Lake. Come celebrate and learn all about these extraordinary creatures and how we can all help them survive.
The event will also feature guest speakers, competitions, facepainting, animal feedings, crafts and more. The celebration will end with a paddlefish send-off where the paddlefish will be transported off-site for their release back into the Caddo Waterways.
Other highlights include
Educational displays and speakers
Animal feedings
Fossil station
Live gators from Walter B Jacobs Nature Center
Recycled art contest with prizes
Jr. conservationist speech contest with prizes
Crafts, facepainting & game
Paddlefish release (off-location)
Background
Once common in Caddo Lake, the American Paddlefish completely disappeared from the lake in the 1970s. Through extensive habitat restoration and historic agreements with the Corps of Engineers, Caddo Lake is now prime habitat to restore this prehistoric species.
American Paddlefish populations have declined dramatically, primarily because of overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution. Paddlefish once ranged in almost every river in the Central and Eastern United States and into Canada with the current range now reduced to just the Mississippi and Missouri River tributaries and Mobile Bay drainage basin.
National American Paddlefish Day is a recognized and certified day on March 9 of each calendar year. Shreveport Aquarium submitted the application last year and was awarded the certification for this national day to bring awareness to the plight of the 300 million year old species, the American Paddlefish.