Snagging for Paddlefish at Gavins Point Dam

Have you ever wanted a closer look at some of the fish species we raise? Here's your chance! These paddlefish eggs hatched at Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery in South Dakota where a variety of fish are raised. Every spring, the hatchery captures wild, adult paddlefish to spawn more at the hatchery and then safely returns them back to their native habitat. This process occurs to help increase wild paddlefish populations that are battling habitat changes and overfishing. Everyone needs a littl

PADDLEFISH SPAWNING: This week, MDC staff spawned paddlefish at Blind Pony Hatchery. Paddlefish eggs take about 7 days to hatch. The fry are kept for another 7 days inside the hatchery before they're moved outside to rearing ponds where they can reach a growth rate of up to 2-inches per week! Around 38,000 fish are distributed between Lake of the Ozarks, Harry S. Truman Reservoir, Table Rock Lake, and Black River. These fish will be large enough to begin harvesting in 2027! | Missouri Dept. of C