Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter


3

Monster Fish Becomes Hunters' Fave

Share

(Newser) – Fish don’t get much uglier than the alligator gar, but lately the dinosaur-like monstrosity has attracted a following… of crossbow-wielding sportsmen trying to kill it, the Wall Street Journal reports. Part fishing, part monster hunting, bagging an alligator gar is a thrilling exercise, and at up to 8 feet long, they make great trophies. In many states officials, fearing the gar could become endangered, are enacting fishing limits.

Those limits are enraging commercial hunters, who catch alligator gar by the hundreds for sale in Mexico. Others find the idea of protecting the gar absurd. For centuries the fish has been despised; fisherman thought—somewhat erroneously—that it ate their prize game fish, and its huge rows of sharp teeth terrify swimmers. One hunting guide protested, saying, “Even if we wanted to kill ‘em all, these fish are too smart.”

A man contemplates a freshly captured alligator gar by Moon Lake, Mississippi, circa 1910.
A man contemplates a freshly captured alligator gar by Moon Lake, Mississippi, circa 1910.   (Wikimedia Commons)
Alligator gars are seen at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco.
Alligator gars are seen at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco.   (Wikimedia Commons)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
OFF THE GRID
11.24.09
Murdoch and Microsoft: The Mice Are Trying to Roar
11.23.09
Books Are Bad for You
3 comments
VIEWING:
 
DeniseVB
Jun 30, 09 11:48 AM CDT
Trophy hunting is always deplorable. Is man the only species that kills for fun? Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
+2
IN RESPONSE:
Serenity
Jun 30, 09 12:52 PM CDT
No, they aren't. There were female chimps that killed something like 20 infant chimps, with no purpose to the killing. Man is the only one with internet to broadcast the killing.
Vote up! Vote down!
+1
IN RESPONSE:
Snowleopard
Jun 30, 09 3:18 PM CDT
man definately isn't the only species that kills for fun. I've seen video of two killer whales playing catch with a baby seal, only to purposely return it to the beach once they were through, and I've seen plenty of cats catching mice and insects that they have not intention of eating. That said, shooting a fish with a crossbow is pretty stupid. With ancient fish like this you should be using a barbless hook and do catch and release so other people can fight them another day. fish this big aren't good eating anyways.
Vote up! Vote down!
+2
LEAVE A
COMMENT Comment Policy
Facebook ConnectPost this comment to Facebook?

After connecting you will have the option to post your comment on your Facebook profile.

 

Related Newser Stories

14 Stories

Natural Gas Finds Could Herald Energy Shift in US

Discoveries speed
push to replace coal, oil

Apr 30, 09 8:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - A huge natural-gas discovery in Louisiana, on the heels of similar finds elsewhere over the past decade, is fueling a push to shift the nation’s energy portfolio, the Wall Street Journal reports. Louisiana’s Haynesville Shale could hold the energy equivalent of 18 years of current US oil production;... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Texas • Louisiana • natural gas • T. Boone Pickens • foreign oil • energy independence • energy policy • Haynesville Shale • Barnett Shale

 Hunt-Happy Texas 
 Breeds Deer Smugglers 

Native species not big enough for game enthusiasts; disease risks abound

Jan 8, 09 12:38 PM CST
(Newser) - White-tailed deer are everywhere in Texas, so why is the state struggling with a deer-smuggling industry? “It’s like everything else in society,” one game warden tells Time, “people want bigger, better, faster.” Luxurious lodges charge hunters big bucks for access to reserves full of, well,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Texas • deer • hunting • smuggler

US Health Ranking Puts Vermont First, Louisiana Last 

Southern states plagued by high obesity, smoking rates

Dec 4, 08 4:28 PM CST
(Newser) - Move over, Mississippi: Louisiana is now America’s unhealthiest state, Reuters reports. An annual state-by-state report that measures factors like smoking, obesity, and health insurance coverage also put Vermont at the top for the second year in a row. The five healthiest states are:
  1. Vermont
  2. Hawaii
  3. New Hampshire
  4. Minnesota
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
obesity • health care • health • Texas • New Hampshire • South Carolina • smoking • Vermont • Louisiana • Utah • Tennessee • Minnesota • Mississippi • Hawaii

14 Stories


US  •  Science & Health  •  Sports 
TwitterFollow @NewserUS on Twitter

 
Texas • Louisiana • fishing • hunting • outdoors • alligator gar

from our news partners