Is the paddlefish a protected animal? The answer is here

The paddlefish (Polyodon spathula), which many people call the duckbill fish, is native to the United States. In China it is managed as a national second-class key protected aquatic wildlife. However, because farming has been opened up in recent years, the paddlefish was formerly a national second-class protected animal in China, and restaurants selling farmed fish is not illegal.

It is understood that the paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) is native to the Mississippi River basin in the United States. It is a large freshwater economic fish that has lived on Earth since 300 million years ago (that is, the dinosaur era) and survives as a rare sturgeon species. It is one of only two species in the family Polyodontidae worldwide. Together with the Chinese sturgeon and the Chinese paddlefish (Psephurus gladius) of the Yangtze River waters, it belongs to the order Acipenseriformes, family Polyodontidae.

The paddlefish has strong adaptability, grows rapidly, has a gentle temperament and a short food chain, and is the only fish among all sturgeons that feeds on zooplankton. Its food sources are wide, and it is easy to raise and easy to catch, making it suitable for farming in waters such as reservoirs, lakes and ponds.

Rearing methods

1. The paddlefish has a wide suitable temperature range. It is neither afraid of low temperatures nor able to endure high temperatures. In winter, even if the water surface freezes, as long as there is still sufficient dissolved oxygen in the water, it can live in the water beneath the ice; in summer, when the surface water temperature of ponds often exceeds 35°C, it can still grow normally.

2. Fast growth. The paddlefish is one of the fastest-growing freshwater fish species. Fry hatched that year and raised until the end of the year can reach 1.5 jin per fish (when raised alone). In polyculture they can reach more than 2 jin.

3. Low feed requirements. It mainly eats zooplankton, so no separate feeding is needed in polyculture. When raised alone, the feed conversion ratio will not exceed 1.3:1.

4. Easy to catch. Its habits are similar to those of the bighead carp, and it is not good at jumping. The catch rate on the first netting is over 90%.

5. Few diseases. Mainly parasitic types. So far there have been almost no disease problems.

How much does paddlefish cost per jin on the market?

At present, the price of paddlefish varies with size.

Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) 1.5-2.5 jin: 23 yuan/jin

Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) over 2.5 jin: 20 yuan/jin