In his quest to save the world's big fish, conservation biologist Zeb Hogan has wrangled what may be the biggest freshwater species in the world, the Mekong giant catfish. But is it really the biggest there is? We join Zeb in his quest to find out as he hunts down South America's leading contenders. He spends three weeks in the Amazon searching for two of the world's most unique Megafish - the piraba and the pirarucu. Along the way, we'll discover unique facts about the Amazon that make it an ideal place to search for Megafish. We explore the mysterious world of these monsters-their awesome physical features, strange behavior, and the astounding cycles of life that transform tiny eggs into 440-pound beasts . During this expedition, Zeb uncovers the important roles these Megafish bring to the Amazon ecology and culture, all while trying to catch these beasts and discover why their numbers are diminishing and what he can do to save them.
Hooked , Hooked on Hooked! , If you've ever reveled in the thrill of the catch, you are going to love this show hook, line and sinker.
Fishzilla , Huge Snakehead , Anglers reel in a monster specimen of snakehead.
Fishzilla , Fish Invasion , The Northern Snakehead fish wreaks havoc.
Caught Bare-handed , Noodling Champ , A top noodler catches a huge catfish by hand.
Caught Bare-handed , Noodling , Noodlers catch big catfish using only their hands.
Caught Bare-handed , Tuna Haul , Wrangling tuna by hand is an old tradition.
Man vs. Fish , The Fightin' Tarpon , The tarpon have unique biological features that allow them to grow to enormous sizes.
Man vs. Fish , The Mighty Arapaima , After a day of impressive catches, an expert angler gets a bite from a beast that defies imagination.
Monster Fish! , Monster Fish , A fisherman uses tobacco to get a ray reeled in.
More Monster Fish! , Tagging a Marlin , Guy Harvey dives into dangerous waters to tag a fighting monster Marlin.
![Monster Fish of Mongolia , Giant Trout , The feisty taimen fish of Mongolia packs a mean bite -- but is more endangered than dangerous.]()
Monster Fish of Mongolia , Giant Trout , The feisty taimen fish of Mongolia packs a mean bite -- but is more endangered than dangerous.
![Monster Fish of Mongolia , Mining Mongolia , Zeb is confronted by the harsh reality of Mongolian gold mining practices that dredge huge swaths of river valley.]()
Monster Fish of Mongolia , Mining Mongolia , Zeb is confronted by the harsh reality of Mongolian gold mining practices that dredge huge swaths of river valley.
![Monster Fish of Mongolia , Zeb in Mongolia , Zeb Hogan is traveling the world to learn about megafish and how to protect them from extinction.]()
Monster Fish of Mongolia , Zeb in Mongolia , Zeb Hogan is traveling the world to learn about megafish and how to protect them from extinction.
![Monster Fish of Thailand , Giant Stingray , Zeb has finally caught a giant stingray, but time is running out to get her weighed for the record books.]()
Monster Fish of Thailand , Giant Stingray , Zeb has finally caught a giant stingray, but time is running out to get her weighed for the record books.
![Monster Fish of Thailand , Swimming with Stingrays , Zeb's getting in the pool with a giant hungry stingray. Now that's dedication.]()
Monster Fish of Thailand , Swimming with Stingrays , Zeb's getting in the pool with a giant hungry stingray. Now that's dedication.
![Monster Fish of Thailand , Giant Food for Giant Fish , Zeb is in Thailand to find a giant stingray -- and by the looks of the local shrimp, he's in the right place.]()
Monster Fish of Thailand , Giant Food for Giant Fish , Zeb is in Thailand to find a giant stingray -- and by the looks of the local shrimp, he's in the right place.
Monster Fish of the Amazon , Monster Fish of the Amazon , Join conservation biologist Zeb Hogan in his quest to find and help the biggest freshwater fish in Brazil.
![Vampire Fish , Goliath Tigerfish , A young man's dream to catch a goliath tigerfish comes true -- but not without a fight.]()
Vampire Fish , Goliath Tigerfish , A young man's dream to catch a goliath tigerfish comes true -- but not without a fight.
![Vampire Fish , Swimming with Sharks , Hooking a shark takes a lot of guts -- and that's just to set the bait.]()
Vampire Fish , Swimming with Sharks , Hooking a shark takes a lot of guts -- and that's just to set the bait.
Fishzilla,Jean-Francios holds a bitten snakehead prey.
Fishzilla,Snakehead held with jaws shown.
Fishzilla,Snakehead babies swim in a ball.
Fishzilla,Snakehead held with mouth open.
Caught Bare-handed,Jean-François Helias and friends with a 198-pound giant freshwater stingray.
Caught Bare-handed,Jean-François Helias with a giant Mekong catfish.
Caught Bare-handed,Tim Pruitt with Jimmy Noles, who caught an 85-pound blue catfish.
Caught Bare-handed,Jeff Morrow catches a sailfish.
Caught Bare-handed,Noodling champion Don Brewer holds up monster catfish.
Man vs. Fish,Record-breaking 385-pound Lemon Shark released and swimming away.
Man vs. Fish,Keith Purton holds up a single Arapaima scale measuring over 3 inches across.
Man vs. Fish,Experienced angler Martin Arostegul and Captain Ralph Delph catch a 385-pound lemon shark in Key West, Florida.
Man vs. Fish,Close-up of 330-pound Arapaima caught by Keith Purton.
Man vs. Fish,Experienced angler Martin Arostegul and Captain Ralph Delph catch a 385-pound lemon shark in Key West, Florida.
Monster Fish!,Jimmy Noles holds an 85-pound blue catfish caught on the Mississippi River.
Monster Fish!,Tim Pruitt, who has just caught an 85-pound blue catfish on the Mississippi River.
Monster Fish!,Jean-François Helias and a fishing friend with a 100-pound giant Mekong catfish.
Monster Fish!,Jean-François Helias with a giant Mekong catfish.
Monster Fish!,Jeff Morrow catches a 100-pound sailfish from a kayak.
More Monster Fish!,A fishing rod leans off of Captain Bart Miller's fishing boat.
More Monster Fish!,Jean-François Helias with a giant Mekong catfish.
More Monster Fish!,Jean-François Helias and friends with a 198-pound giant freshwater stingray.
More Monster Fish!,Jimmy Noles holds an 85-pound blue catfish caught on the Mississippi River.
Monster Fish of Thailand,Zeb Hogan with the recaptured giant freshwater stingray.
Monster Fish of Thailand,Stingray and crew in pool.
Monster Fish of Thailand,Giant freshwater shrimp are the giant stingray's favorite food.
Monster Fish of Thailand,Zeb discusses what he is going to do with the stingray.
Monster Fish of Thailand,Close-up of the giant freshwater stingray.
Monster Fish of the Amazon,Scientist with arapaima.
Monster Fish of the Amazon,Fishermen with paraiba.
Monster Fish of the Amazon,Scientist with large arapaima.
Monster Fish of the Amazon,Piranhas caught in net.
Monster Fish of the Amazon,Fisherman in fishing boat.
Monsters of the Deep,Stingray and several anglers in Thailand.
Monsters of the Deep,Amberjack bait is used to lure sharks.
Monsters of the Deep,Luke Wyrsta with a giant trevally in Queensland, Australia.
Monsters of the Deep,A 9-foot conger eel prop floats behind Roger Beer.
Monsters of the Deep,This giant trevally was bitten in half by a reef shark.
Vampire Fish,Ichthyologist, fish tooth, and jaw specialist, Justin Grubich, Ph.D., holds open the mouth of a Payara, also known as the "Vampire Fish."
Vampire Fish,Johnny Hoffmann holds a Payara, also known as the "Vampire Fish." The Payara earns its "vampire" nickname with a set of two-inch daggers thrusting up from its bottom jaw.
Vampire Fish,Johnny Hoffmann in Brazil with a Payara, also known as the "Vampire Fish."
Vampire Fish,Close up of a Pacu's teeth in Brazil. Pacu fish, cousins to the piranha and known as "frugivores," have human-like teeth that can crack nuts and fruits.
Vampire Fish,Comparison of a Pacu's teeth to human teeth.
TOP 10 UGLY AND ENDANGERED FISH WITH ZEB HOGAN
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If anyone can love an ?ugly? fish, Zeb Hogan can.
This National Geographic Explorer and conservationist has made it his life?s mission to save the BIG, the BAD and the UGLY of the fish world. However, many of these creatures now have reason for a sour face: they are close to extinction because of pollution and overfishing. Following is a list of our top 10 ?ugly? fish that we must fight to save for lifetimes to come.
View Photos >>
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COMING SOON
Send Us a Shot of Your Most Amazing Catch!
Did you catch a whopper? Send us a picture of your most amazing catch and tell us about it... whether it was a fish from the high seas, or from grandpa's pond.
Not a pro? Browse the photo album and read about others' "fish tales" and decide for yourself if they really did catch a fish "thiiis biiig"!
COMING SOON
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INSIDE NGC BLOG Get's Hooked!
Reeling In A Whopping Catch
An Interview with President George H.W. Bush for Hooked!
By Julia Dorn-Buckler, Producer
Meeting and interviewing the world’s most amazing anglers for Michael Hoff Productions’ Hooked! is always a wild, unforgettable ride. Hooking President George H.W. Bush for an interview is a record catch!
Scanning headlines for fishing news, as soon as I see the 41st President’s headline, tarpon whopper, I know it’s perfect for our ongoing Hooked specials. The shows feature white-knuckle catches of man against monster fish. To reel in this celebrity interview takes five press kits, seven cover letters, three emails and extensive security clearances. Just like an angler, I stake out my fishing ground… and wait.
Suddenly, I get the green light. The interview’s on! Arriving at GHW Bush’s famed Kennebunkport, ME home, I meet the former president face-to-face. With cameras rolling, Mr. Bush shares the story of his glorious tarpon catch...READ MORE >>
Getting Hooked on Reeling in Monster Fish Stories!
By Julia Dorn-Buckler, Producer
In New Zealand, I interviewed Matt Watson. He and his team set out on a dangerous assignment. Working for the department of conservation, they planned to get a live DNA sample – of a Great White Shark! Watch how they come face-to-face with one of the ocean’s most feared and mysterious alpha predators. READ MORE >>
Snakehead Frenzy!
By Elena Cruz - Producer
The Invasive Snakehead! Just when you think it’s safe…snakehead frenzy grabs you by the gills! Media reports first dubbed this incredible invasive species, ‘Frankenfish.’ I came to know this tenacious predator as Fishzilla. I remembered hearing about this strange, scary story from East Coast friends. But it wasn’t until I actually talked to people on the snakehead frontlines that I realized this was really big news. But what was this ferocious fish with a ravenous appetite that destroys food chains – breeding, feeding and spreading non-stop? READ MORE >>
The Ultimate Dream Gig!
By Marlon Singleton - Producer, Heath Orchard - Field Producer, and Amanda Gronich - Senior Writer
Forget the ‘ones that got away’…we got to uncover real-life monster catches that shattered records! Shooting stories for Hooked Again: Monster Fish was a wild, unforgettable, ride. Traveling from the U.S.’s biggest fishery in frigid Alaska…to prime fishing country in Florida’s Gulf Coast…to the banks of a sweltering Texas swamp. Meeting some of the world’s most amazing pro and amateur anglers. Sharing stories that kept our jaws dropped to the bottom of the boat. Along the way, we also got to discover some of the scaliest, biggest and baddest creatures under water. Back on terra firma, I can’t get these amazing fish out of my head. Here are just a few of our favorite ‘Whopper Fish Facts’ you can use to amaze your friends. READ MORE >>
WHEN THERE?S NOTHING LEFT TO HOOK
In forty years, there may not be many megafish left.
According to recent scientific studies, it is estimated that every species of wild seafood will collapse by 2050?meaning that 90 percent of those species? baseline populations would be gone.
How is this possible? A worldwide loss of marine biodiversity is severely affecting how the ocean functions. The ocean is an amazing unit, which produces fish, resists disease, and filters pollutants–but it needs all of its parts to keep functioning.
Issues such as overfishing have contributed to the ocean?s current problems. Never heard of overfishing? It?s simple: the ocean becomes overfished when so many fish are caught that the remaining fish can no longer reproduce enough to maintain population levels. This is happening today, causing scientists to believe that unless we completely change the way we interact with the ocean, the next forty years may be the last for wild sea fish. Especially megafish.
But that, thankfully, is not the end of the story. Science has also shown that species are capable of reviving when protected. Protection and conservation of the ocean isn?t a simple matter, but everyday more people join forces to turn the curve.
Click on the links below to explore organizations that are working towards a healthy ocean.
National Geographic's "Ocean Now" >>
Natural Resources Defense Council >>
Oceana >>
MarineBio >>
Restoration Marketplace >>
Fish America Foundation >>
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