BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark — A Facebook post made by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Fisheries Division has been gaining attention after a massive pre-historic paddlefish was spotted on Beaver Lake.
According to the post, a person out on the lake noticed a large fish floating in the water and swam out to rescue it. The paddlefish was 75 inches (6 foot 3 inches) from the tip of its rostrum to the top of its tail.
Unfortunately, the creature was injured from being hit by a boat prop, and its soft spinal cord was severed.
The fish was weighed on unofficial hanging scales and came out to a whopping 165 pounds!
Though the fish was not an official state record since it wasn't caught with a rod and reel, it's still a fish of a lifetime!
Paddlefish are considered pre-historic fish since they are made of cartilage, like a shark, rather than having bones made of hard structures.
Beaver Lake has a small population of very large paddlefish, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is looking into allowing a snagging season in the future.
