CREATING FLOW : Bringing back a prehistoric fish by 
restoring flow. We explain ahead, on Passport to Texas. 
(March 6)

This is Passport to Texas

With a huge mouth and long paddle-shaped snout, the 
prehistoric paddlefish is a threatened species in Texas. In 
water systems like Big Cypress Bayou, their decline 
followed river modifications and dam construction [for 
Lake O' the Pines reservoir] which altered in-stream flows 
necessary for their survival. 

18 -- The in-stream flows that are released from the Lake O' the 
Pines reservoir are critical for maintaining habitat within the river, 
as well as for initiating spawning conditions paddlefish need to 
reproduce.

Kevin Mayes, an aquatic biologist with TPW, says after 
years of study and restoring key features of the Big 
Cypress system, the USFWS, Caddo Lake Institute, TPW 
and others, are returning this "big river" species to the 
ecosystem. 

16 -- Part of that [work] was identifying that paddlefish require 
spring spawning pulses to support their reproduction So, we 
integrated those pulses into a flow regime that we call "in-stream 
flow building blocks" for the Big Cypress Creek.

This spring, researchers plan to release up to 50 radio-
tagged paddlefish into the newly restored system, 
monitoring their movements, and making adjustments to 
flows based on the data. 

The WSFR Program supports our series. For Texas Parks 
and Wildlife, I'm Cecilia Nasti.









Total sound bite time:			0.34.0
Maximum Script time:			0:51.0	 	 Suggested show time: 85.0 = 1:25