All language subtitles for B.W.S07E02.Gar.Wars.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

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.