Oklahoma Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office

04/06/2026

Long before the Red River had dams, airboats, or anglers, it was home to species that have survived since the age of dinosaurs. Several of those ancient lineages are still here today, quietly cruising beneath the surface.

⏳ So…who came first?

🥇 Shovelnose Sturgeon lineage (~200+ million years)
🥈 Alligator Gar (~150 million years)
🥉 American Paddlefish (~125 million years)
🐢 Alligator Snapping Turtle (~90 million years)

04/02/2026

Invasive carp found in Red River, how you can prevent them from spreading

STORY --> https://www.kxii.com/2026/04/01/invasive-carp-found-red-river-how-you-can-prevent-them-spreading/

04/01/2026

Quiet on social doesn’t mean quiet in the field 👀

On the Red River below Denison Dam since last March:
• 19 invasive carp tagged with transmitters (8 Silver, 11 Bighead)
• 9 additional receiver stations deployed

These fish are now doing the reporting for us, giving us a clearer picture of movement, habitat use, and when conditions may be right for spawning. That insight helps guide how we and our partners manage invasive carp populations on the river.

Big thanks to the anglers, landowners, and partners who continue to support this work. We couldn’t do it without you!

02/25/2026

02/17/2026

ODWC intern positions

📣We're hiring 📣 Two streams interns who will be based at the Porter field office!

Duties will include fish sampling, grounds and equipment maintenance and more! To apply, send a filled out intern application to [email protected]

Get the intern application form here:
wildlifedepartment.com/about/careers/internships

02/03/2026

A quick blurb featuring our collaborative project with the Whitney Genetics Lab at the Midwest Fisheries Center!
Monitoring for Bighead Carp and Silver Carp eggs and larvae each summer on the Red River is a full-time job, but new advances in methodologies have allowed our biologists to dramatically expand our sampling area and efforts to detect any evidence of spawning by these invasive fish.

01/10/2026

(60/650) The American paddlefish is known for its smooth skin, long, paddle-shaped snout and skeleton made mostly of cartilage. Native to the Mississippi River Basin, this filter-feeding giant uses its snout to detect plankton in murky waters. In the winter, they become less active, building up reserves for spring spawning migrations.



Credit: Ryan Hagerty/USFWS