About the American Paddlefish Exhibit

The American Paddlefish, or Mississippi River Paddlefish, is one of only two paddlefish species found on Earth! The Paddlefish here at OdySea Aquarium live in 14,000 gallons of freshwater kept at approximately 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit), and their exhibit represents areas of the Mississippi river known for slow moving water, such as side channels and river-lakes. Such areas would be murky with low visibility due to the sandy and silty river bottom, as well as an abundance of particulates and rotting vegetation in the water column being carried downriver.

The actual Mississippi River watershed is an enormous stretch of temperate freshwater, with the Mississippi River itself nearly dividing the United States in half from its origin in Minnesota down to the Gulf of Mexico. One river that merges with the Mississippi is the Missouri River which begins in Montana and flows Southeast down to St. Louis, Missouri. Such a long waterway not only provided a way to transport goods from the North to the South via the infamous paddleboats, but also provided a source of fresh water, hydropower, and fishing to humans living in the area post-industrial revolution. The Mississippi River has been a fundamental part of Native American culture since approximately AD700. This large area of freshwater is home to a vast number of animals, including one of the oddest looking North American fish, the paddlefish. Yellow perch, large mouth buffalo, and even common carp, which were introduced from Europe and Asia as a source of food, also make their homes in the Mississippi River.

The damming and polluting of the Mississippi River are having ill effects on the animal species, both the ones that live in the water as well as the terrestrial species that use the river as a source of water and food. Damming not only changes the landscape, and therefore the habitats in and surrounding the water, but it also prevents important fish migrations, such as the paddlefish swimming upriver in order to spawn. Pollutants in the water may sicken any animal that ingests or is exposed to the water, either immediately over the course of years of generations.