The Only Place on Earth: How We Brought Ancient Paddlefish Back from Extinction

By Bob Sanders, Cypress River Ranch

When people ask me what I'm most proud of after 30 years of ranching, they expect me to talk about our Red Wagyu cattle or the quality of our beef. But what really gets me excited is something most folks have never heard of: paddlefish swimming in the Big Cypress Bayou that runs through our ranch.

These aren't just any fish. We're talking about ancient creatures that survived the dinosaurs, and today, our ranch is the only place on earth where a particular paddlefish reintroduction has succeeded. Let that sink in for a moment—nowhere else on the planet is this conservation success story happening except right here on our 1,100 acres in Northeast Texas.

When Drought Changed Everything

The story really intensified with the drought that nearly broke us. That summer brought record-breaking heat to Texas, little to no rainfall, and fires. Like many ranchers, we watched our grass disappear and our water levels drop to dangerous lows. We feared we might run out of feed for our cattle entirely. It was one of those times when you start wondering if you can keep the ranch going.

We'd already been working with Caddo Lake Institute, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Army Corps of Engineers on water quality improvements in our section of Big Cypress Bayou. When Caddo Lake Institute suggested we explore working with The Nature Conservancy on water rights, it seemed like an opportunity worth investigating.

The Paddlefish Project

About 20 years ago, we began working with conservation groups on something unprecedented: reintroducing paddlefish to the Cypress River system. These remarkable creatures—we're talking about a species that has been around since before the dinosaurs—had been locally extinct in our waters for decades.

The paddlefish is unlike anything most people have seen. They can grow to over 100 pounds, with that distinctive paddle-shaped snout that gives them their name. They're filter feeders, cruising through the water with their mouths open, straining plankton and small organisms from the water. In many ways, they're the gentle giants of freshwater systems.

But what makes them truly special is their ancient lineage. These fish have survived ice ages, asteroid impacts, and massive environmental changes that wiped out countless other species. Yet human activities—overfishing, dam construction, and habitat destruction—had eliminated them from many of their historic ranges, including our section of Big Cypress Bayou.

Why Our Ranch Was Perfect

Our 2.5 miles of river frontage on Big Cypress Bayou, along with the series of oxbow lakes scattered across our property, created ideal paddlefish habitat. These water features were actually what drew Kimmie and me to this land almost 30 years ago. We could see the potential, but we didn't realize at the time that we were looking at the future home of a conservation miracle.

The Nature Conservancy recognized what we had: clean, flowing water connected to the larger Caddo Lake system, with the kind of diverse aquatic habitat that paddlefish need to thrive. As The Nature Conservancy documented in their work with us, our ranch offered the perfect conditions for species reintroduction.

The partnership made sense for everyone involved. We got additional tools and resources to secure our ranch's future, especially during drought years. The conservation groups got access to prime habitat for their restoration work. And the paddlefish got a second chance at survival in their historic waters.

A Conservation Success Story

What happened next exceeded everyone's expectations. The paddlefish didn't just survive in our waters—they thrived. Today, we're the only location worldwide where this particular paddlefish reintroduction has been completely successful.

Think about what that means. Scientists and conservationists around the world are studying our project to understand how to replicate this success elsewhere. Researchers regularly visit our ranch to conduct scientific studies on water quantity, quality, and flow levels. We've become a living laboratory for paddlefish conservation.

But for me, the real measure of success isn't in the research papers or the scientific accolades. It's in watching these ancient creatures glide through our waters again, knowing that something that was lost has been restored.

A Conservation Legacy

Twenty years ago, when we first started this project, I couldn't have imagined we'd become the only successful paddlefish reintroduction site in the world. It started as a practical partnership during a difficult drought, but it became something much more significant.

Now, when conservation biologists want to understand how to bring paddlefish back to other waterways, they come to our ranch. When students study successful species reintroduction, they learn about our project. When families visit Caddo Lake and see healthy aquatic ecosystems, they're benefiting from work that started right here on our property.

That's the kind of stewardship that defines a life well-lived. We didn't just maintain what we inherited—we actively restored what had been lost. We didn't just preserve habitat—we brought ancient life back to our waters.

And every time those grandchildren see a paddlefish glide through our oxbow lakes, they're reminded that their family's legacy includes not just raising the finest Red Wagyu in Texas, but also helping restore one of nature's most ancient creatures to the place where it belongs.

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Learn more about our conservation work and partnerships by visiting Cypress River Ranch. Our ranch tours include the paddlefish habitat areas and explanations of how regenerative ranching supports both cattle production and wildlife conservation. Contact us at sanders@cypressriverranchwagyu.com to schedule your visit.

Support conservation-minded ranching by choosing our Red Wagyu beef, raised using the same regenerative practices that helped make our paddlefish reintroduction successful. Every purchase supports both our family legacy and our ongoing conservation work.