Paddlefish going through ND dam, dying

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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Paddlefish are among the species showing up dead downstream of Garrison Dam on the flooded Missouri River in North Dakota.

The fish that can weigh 100 pounds spawn in northwestern North Dakota and eastern Montana near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. They're not endangered, but their numbers are declining and biologists keep close tabs on them.

Washburn resident Dennis Van Hoorn tells said that he recently spotted three dead paddlefish.

Dave Fryda with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department says paddlefish are coming through the dam's spillway, which releases warmer water closer to the surface, rather than through the regulatory and power tunnels that release deep, cold water. He says the problem should be gone when the spillway gates are fully closed Wednesday.

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