Original subtitles

150 million years ago,

a torpedo shaped armor covered predatory fish

swam virtually unchallenged in the presence of dinosaurs.

Fast forward to the present day and relatives of this beast

still swim nearly unchanged in design reigning

as Freshwater megafauna.

Gar are masters of evolution.

They have survived beyond the dinosaurs and everything that

came after until their existence ran up

against an inescapable fate, humans.

I'm about to rock the boat, and this episode

is about to make some waves.

So if you're ready to join the fight together,

we stand the chance of saving these fish.

Welcome to the Gar Wars, a conservation fish force

has awoken.

I caught a big fish once, perhaps

you remember my encounter with the blue catfish.

How about that, boy?

Holy cow.

Well, if you thought

that was an impressive Freshwater river monster,

you aren't going to believe your eyes when you see

where this episode is headed.

But before we get to catching, first we got to go fishing.

On this wild fish chase, I will be working alongside the Gar

Guys, Hayden, Max, and Florian.

Hayden is a graduate student from Texas

A&M, who is researching alligator

gar for his master's project.

While Max and Florian, two wild Dutchmen and experienced gar

wranglers from the Netherlands, are working in tandem

with Hayden's research as part of their graduation internship

and the completion of their master's degree.

These guys love fish more than you can possibly comprehend,

so for me and Mario, it's an honor

to document their process and share

in their fight for the conservation of the species.

This simple looking, yet high tech device,

reveals many of the water secrets,

including hidden obstacles like trees, water depth,

and if we are lucky, the distinct body

signatures of fish.

Rod and reel is a very sporty way to fish for gar,

but setting a hook in their bony mouths can be nearly impossible

and places an incredible amount of stress on the fish.

So to lessen the impact, we will fish with gill nets.

200 feet wide by 10 feet tall, we carefully

stretch these super sized nets across the river, one upstream

and another downstream.

Bright yellow buoys help to keep the net afloat,

while also working as a signal to the team.

If a fish swims into and becomes entangled in the net,

these bright indicators will bob up and down alerting

that a fish has been caught.

OK, we officially have the first two nets set in the water.

The next part of looking for gar is called waiting.

We're going to spend about an hour just watching

the nets hoping that eventually the buoys go

beneath the surface.

If one goes all the way down, Florian and Max

said that that pretty much means you've got a monster fish.

So we're to keep our fingers crossed.

We like the spots where the nets are set.

Now we sit and wait and see what happens.

The term river monster is an all too familiar description

of a seemingly malicious animal that

lurks beneath the surface of our planet's

flowing Freshwater systems.

In fairness, it's also the title of my all time

favorite television series.

However, it's important to redefine what the gar truly

is because the term monster carries with it an unfairly

assigned notorious reputation.

Worldwide, there are seven species of these toothy fish.

Three of which we may encounter in this area.

The spotted gar, which is beautifully

speckled in an uncoordinated array of spots.

The long nose gar, named for its definitively slender

and noticeably elongated snout.

And the alligator gar, which hails

as the largest and seemingly most menacing of the gar gang.

Yes, they are big, fast, armor scaled, and equipped with rows

of needle like teeth, but don't let their appearance

snap your initial assumptions into false accusations.

Gar do not attack humans, and honestly,

the only well documented bites derive from anglers

that are accidentally bitten while trying

to remove fishing hooks.

Yet it was uneducated fear mongering dating back

nearly 100 years that put the alligator

gar on a hit list of North America's dangerous animals.

Sadly, populations have been extirpated in many areas

of their natural range, and if things couldn't get worse,

now these fish face a new threat, bow hunting.

But before we kick the door open on that sensitive topic,

first, we better check the nets.

OK, right now, we're motoring up river

on our way to check one of the nets that's been

sitting for about 40 minutes.

32 minutes.

What?

We've got some movement in a buoy.

There may be a fish up in this net.

OK, we might have something.

All right, let's do it.

Right now just keeping eyes on those buoys.

If there's a fish in there, we don't want to startle it,

because while they may get tangled up in the nets,

it's also rather easy for them to get out

unless we get the net actually curled around the fish

so fingers crossed.

We really like the way that we have this set originally.

Oh, we've got a fish.

Oh, for real?

Oh, a longnose.

Oh, nice.

Yes.

Look at that.

Oh, wow.

That good?

Yep.

Yes, please.

OK, so right now, what Max is doing

is gently getting the net out of the gar's teeth.

Very dangerous little procedure here.

Got to use what are called net hooks.

This is so that he does not lose a finger in the process.

Take all the time.

This is my first encounter

ever with the longnose gar.

I've never seen one of these before.

It's beautiful.

Look how bluish in coloration it is.

It's a decent size long ways too.

There it is.

There it is.

Amazing.

Look at that.

That is a longnosed gar.

Now longnose gar gets its name because

of that elongated snout.

If you take a good look there, that mouth is filled

full of needle sharp teeth.

Now they specialize in eating fish,

and you can see that if you were a fish,

and you got stuck in those jaws, it would be a very bad day.

And look at the blue iridescence in coloration.

This is an absolutely beautiful fish.

And just like the alligator gar, they are covered

in these armored scales.

Big eyes, bulbous, right on the side of the head.

They have incredible vision and that streamlined body

basically makes them a long, muscular missile.

Underwater, these fish have incredible speed.

Now these fish can stay out of water for a significant amount

of time, and right now the fish is secreting this very thick

slippery mucus from its scales.

That's helping to keep it hydrated.

We don't want to keep it out of the water for too long.

What a beautiful fish.

I just can't get over how incredible

and how prehistoric looking these animals are.

Now I would say this is about average size

for a longnose gar.

They get quite a bit bigger than this in some instances,

but for seeing a longnose gar for the first time,

I don't think you can get much better than this.

And the river always makes you work for it.

You're not going to get the alligator

gar on the first catch, but seeing this species is

definitely something that we hoped

would happen while out here working with the gar guys.

Let's see.

All right, let's keep checking the net.

This is a good spot.

Right there.

Oh, that's a big fin, man.

Oh, boy.

Perfect.

Look at that.

Our first alligator gar.

Wow.

Whew.

All right, definitely have to watch

out for that snout and that skull

full of needle sharp teeth.

So what we're doing right now is safely

getting the gar out of the net.

The calmer we can keep the fish, the less stress we put on it,

the better for its health and safety.

That is a very good sized alligator gar.

Right now, slide down a little bit.

OK.

You can see it's just caught with its teeth.

Yeah.

And that's what usually happens

with the really big fish, they get

caught only with their teeth.

OK, this fish is free.

Hold on.

Wow.

It's a big slime on this one.

Look at my hands, just covered.

Do you smell it?

In gar slime.

Yeah, the smell.

That was cool.

Yeah, very distinct smell as compared to other fish.

Eyes covered with the towel.

It experiences less stress.

Yeah, just like alligators.

OK, we'll keep a towel over it.

OK, cool, let's get into the shade

and collect some biometrics.

Alligator gar, there it is.

The gar guys collect meaningful biometrics on any alligator

gar they catch, including the fish's head length, 22 and 1/2,

its full body length.

146 centimeters.

Wow.

And the girth circumference.

58.

The base of its dorsal fin

is tagged with unique identification flag,

and a micro PIT tag is quickly inserted

so that if the fish is caught in the future,

they can quickly scan and ID it.

Are you guys ready for this?

Meet the alligator gar.

Look at the size of that fish, a true river monster and one

of the most ancient fish species that

still swims on this planet.

Remember, the relatives of this fish

date back 100 million years, which

means that this fish's cousins were

swimming amongst the dinosaurs.

Obviously, the head is incredibly interesting.

And when I turn it like this right toward you,

and you look down on top of the snout,

they get the name alligator gar from that wide, broad snout.

It looks just like the snout of an alligator.

And one other cool aspect about the skull

is the fact that these bones are interlocking

with this fleshy cartilage that allows the skull to expand.

So if this fish catches a prey item larger than it can fit

in its mouth, its skull actually stretches almost like a snake,

and that's able to position its prey and swallow it down whole.

Now when you look down the length of this fish's body,

it is incredibly streamlined.

Let me lift it up just a little bit,

like a large muscular missile.

Oh, come here, buddy.

When you get down to the tail, the dorsal fin is way down

near the caudal fin, and that tail works like a rudder

to help propel this fish forward through its watery environment.

This fish is about as slippery as it gets in this direction,

but if you run your hand backwards,

it almost feels like sandpaper.

When you see the fish coming up to the surface like that

and biting, it's not because it's aggressive.

It's actually taking a breath of air.

Remember, this species is very unique in that it

has bimodal respiration.

It is able to breathe either at the surface

or through its gills, and it can take 30 to 40 years for a fish

to reach just this size.

So getting protections in place to make sure

that the future of this species is preserved

is incredibly important.

And the work that the gar guys are doing

and our ability to feature this fish species

will hopefully help to get protections in place so

that these fish are on the planet for a hundred million

more years.

What an incredible giant.

There's no question about it, that was a big fish.

But in the gar universe, our first catch

was simply a mega-fauna candidate in training.

Now before we got all excited about checking the nets,

I started to mention bow fishing and how this lawless sport

is taking a noticeable toll on the future

of these living relics.

Remember when I warned you about rocking the boat?

It's time to put on your life jacket

because a tidal wave of conservation

is building on the horizon.

We need your support, but before you can help,

it's important to witness what we are fighting for.

Alligator gar are one of the most long lived fish

in the Western hemisphere, and it can take more than a decade

for them to reach maturity.

Once reproductive age has been achieved,

males and females migrate from the protection

of deep waterways and into shallow floodplains

where breeding takes place.

Sadly, it's this intimate setting

where the largest number of mature adults

are being killed by bow fishermen.

Warning, the following images are graphic and may be

disturbing to younger viewers.

Bow fishing is a brutal sport that

is simply defined as shooting fish with a bow and arrow.

Now before we rush to judgment, it's

important to recognize that not all bow fishermen

and their practices are bad.

Technically, this hunting style is not illegal,

and in some instances, it can be beneficial to the ecosystem.

One example is the harvesting of invasive Asian carp.

The problem exists when the arrows

are intentionally shot toward apex

predators like alligator gar.

Gar are considered rough or trash fish,

and while some people do consume their catch,

the majority dump lifeless carcasses

along the river embankments.

Over time, the trophy hunting destruction

of these long lived fish will prove

detrimental to the necessary balance

of our river ecosystems.

And without restrictions, you can understand

why these living dinosaurs find themselves

at risk of going extinct.

Right now we are coming up on a buoy,

which is very low in the water.

This could be a fish.

Check this out.

Way sunk down as compared to the other ones.

This could be a fish.

All right, so what do we want to do, guys?

We want to grab the float line, see where to fish exactly

is that, and then we see from which way it swam in

and get it on board so we can tag it.

Gently.

Notice the boat is over it.

Gently lift it up.

Seeing a lot of bubbles right here.

There is a huge fish in this net.

It may be without question the biggest fish

you guys are ever going to see.

We gently started to pull up the net, I saw its snout.

Its head maybe 2 feet in length alone.

So we're waiting for Mario to catch up.

We were checking a different net, cameras are running.

This is going to be our river monster, guys.

Now it's just a matter getting it on the boat.

I'm estimating that this this one is 2 meter.

It could be a 250 pound fish.

Giant.

Huge.

Huge.

Get your camera ready.

Oh my God, that is--

Max.

That's OK.

Don't worry about it.

You two figure out a way to get the lift light around it.

Hayden, I need your help too.

Oh.

OK, here we go.

I need your help too, Hayden.

Let me get out of the way.

I'm going to weight the boat from this side.

That's good. That's good.

That's good.

Oh my God, this is a big fish.

This is a huge one.

I got your leg.

I got your leg.

That one is not coming out of here anymore.

Oh my God, this might be the biggest we have.

Wow.

It's a huge fish, guys.

Wow.

Do you think we can get it up in the boat?

We need your help.

Where do you want me?

Right in the middle next to us.

It is an absolute river monster.

Holy mackerel.

Oh, oh, my fingers.

You ready?

1, 2, 3.

Yes.

Whoo.

Holy cow.

That is a river monster.

It is absolutely massive.

Let's slide it back.

OK.

Yes, fish is secure.

Oh, my gosh.

It's massive.

Absolutely massive.

So right now, we're getting the net off of the fish.

They're going to get into a shaded area, start collecting

the biometrics, and we're definitely

going to take a good look.

This is what river monster legends are made of.

This alligator gar is--

this is the biggest fish I've ever seen.

No questions asked.

So their namesake, where it comes from, that reptile,

you can see how closely this fish resembles

a reptile of that magnitude.

I'm just-- I'm beside myself right now.

This is crazy.

This fish is huge.

There you go.

The fish is free.

that

OK, we've got to get the net out of the boat here.

Guys, this is--

Incredible.

And this is your last day in the field.

Our very last day--

And it may be your biggest fish.

It maybe our biggest fish.

I mean, to share this moment with you guys, it's--

Wow.

I mean, this is where the legends come from.

Fish of this size is what they write stories about.

I never imagined we would catch one this big.

As is the case with all alligator gar,

we worked quickly to collect biometric data.

Length, girth, identification flag,

and insertion of a micro PIT tag,

which stands for passive integrated transponder.

For clarification, this is not a tracking chip.

It's an identification tag that can quickly

be scanned to ID this fish if it is caught again in the future.

Prepare to have your mind absolutely boggled because this

is the biggest alligator gar we could

have possibly come across.

This fish measures almost 8 feet in length

and is close to 220 pounds.

If that doesn't define a river monster,

I don't know what does.

I can barely fit my arms all the way around it.

It feels like I'm holding on to a dolphin or probably more

accurately to say holding on to something that is a dinosaur.

Remember, these creatures have been on the planet

for over 100 million years.

Look at the size of this fish's head.

Its jaws are massive.

Its eyeballs enormous, and its skull absolutely dwarfs my hand

when I place it up on top.

The armored plating that runs down the length of this fish

is so thick you can easily see why

Native Americans turn these glenoid scales into arrowheads.

In fact, you can turn this entire fish's back

into an armored breastplate if you needed to.

Of course, that's certainly not something we would ever

need to do, and it's probably taking

this fish close to 50, if not more years,

to grow to this proportion.

Let me see if I can lift it up just a little bit,

and the water is a little more buoyant,

so it's a little easier.

Look at the size.

Absolutely massive.

That's taking all my strength just to get it.

And when I turn it like this, look at the length of the body.

Look at the dorsal fin, the caudal fin.

Absolutely gigantic.

I have never seen a creature of this magnitude.

My entire life, I have been fascinated

by the alligator gar.

Similar to the snapping turtle, this

is a creature that was just considered a nuisance,

a trash fish technically.

And at one point in time, they tried to eradicate the species

off the face of the planet.

Because they have this menacing looking snout

and those big teeth, people were afraid that a fish of this size

would grab onto their legs, pull them down into the murky

depths, and eat them.

But you can see how docile this animal truly is.

In fact, it's so docile, I'm comfortable getting just

within inches of those teeth.

This is not a bloodthirsty ravenous killer.

This is a gentle sentient being feasting on other fish

and doing its best to stay out of the sight of humans.

Now the biggest threat an animal of this proportion faces

truly is man.

Can you fathom coming out into the environment

and shooting an animal like this with a bow and arrow?

It absolutely breaks my heart to think that these fish

are hunted for sport.

Now if we could get the alligator gar listed as a game

fish, that would limit the number of fish

that were killed for sport.

Something of this magnitude is an important part

of the breeding population.

This is without question a female.

The females dwarf the males in size,

and it's her genetics that will carry on the future.

Got splashed in the face there by that gulp of air.

It's her genetics that will carry

on the future of these fish.

And in a protected stretch of river like this,

that is how a creature of this proportion

managed to grow this big.

This is something that deserves to be

living here on our planet.

They are doing an incredibly positive

thing for the environment by balancing the ecosystem.

This is considered megafauna.

This is the apex predator within this river ecosystem

and without these fish swimming freely

the river will not be in proper balance.

I just truly can't get over the size of this fish.

There are virtually no words that

can describe the experience of being in the water

with an animal like this.

And over the past 24 hours, we have

spent a considerable amount of time

learning from the gar guys.

Here we are on our last day checking our final nets,

and we managed to land a truly epic river

monster, an ancient relic, a living dinosaur.

We have collected the biometrics and now it's

time for this fish to carry on its genetic traits

into the future.

This has been an experience unlike anything I have

ever been a part of before.

Finally getting to see a truly monstrous

sized alligator gar in its natural habitat.

I'm Coyote Petersen.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

Oh, this was something else.