
In Search of Monster Fish
Angling for a More Sustainable Planet
Mark Spitzer(Author)
University of Nebraska Press
Will be published approx. on 1. June 2019
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-1-4962-1188-0 (ISBN)
Description
In Search of Monster Fish is an action-packed, knee-slapping ride into and out of the belly of the beast. Join extreme angler Mark Spitzer as he encounters man-eating catfish, ruthless barracuda, lacerating conger eels, berserk tarpon, and blood-curdling sharks in locales as exotic as the Amazon, Catalonia, the Dominican Republic, Senegal, and even in our own backyards.
But this eco-odyssey isn't just about meeting and releasing some of the most grotesque lunkers in the world. It's about implementing solutions for problems as behemoth as global warming and issues as common as choosing what to eat for dinner. And as the ice caps melt at the rate of 1 percent annually, Spitzer battles his most epic goliath: a leviathan that dwells in the depths of us all, making us ask who the real monsters are, what our responsibilities truly are, and what we can possibly do to sustain our planet and ourselves when faced with such demonic disenlightenment. Spitzer then beats this whopper into submission by reframing his call to action and finding his own way. A new portal to the underworld has been opened in the cutting-edge literature of monster fish, and this is your entry ticket.
But this eco-odyssey isn't just about meeting and releasing some of the most grotesque lunkers in the world. It's about implementing solutions for problems as behemoth as global warming and issues as common as choosing what to eat for dinner. And as the ice caps melt at the rate of 1 percent annually, Spitzer battles his most epic goliath: a leviathan that dwells in the depths of us all, making us ask who the real monsters are, what our responsibilities truly are, and what we can possibly do to sustain our planet and ourselves when faced with such demonic disenlightenment. Spitzer then beats this whopper into submission by reframing his call to action and finding his own way. A new portal to the underworld has been opened in the cutting-edge literature of monster fish, and this is your entry ticket.
Reviews / Votes
"It's the juxtaposition of Spitzer's thoughtful and adventurous sides that sets his book apart, making for a powerful mixture of entertaining wildlife jaunt and moving environmental advocacy."-Publishers Weekly "[Spitzer] takes a rollicking, madcap, sometimes surreal approach to fishing and conservation-pursuing fishy monsters with zeal, and finding life lessons along the way."-Matthew L. Miller, Cool Green Science "I recommend that you join Mark Spitzer on his expeditions in this fun- and monster-filled book and plan your next fishing quest."-Donald Orth, vtichthyology.blogspot.com "From heaving seas off the coast of Gambia to the sublime shorelines of Italy's Lake Como, In Search of Monster Fish is an angler's odyssey in pursuit of strange and wonderful fish-and a quest to find a higher truth about conservation and the future of wild nature on our planet."-Stephen Sautner, author of Fish On, Fish Off "The writing often soars to extraordinary, lyrical heights. . . . Like the barracuda, Spitzer has the huevos to take on anything and anyone."-Henry Hughes, author of Back Seat with FishMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Lincoln
United States
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
39 photographs, 1 illustration
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 216 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4962-1188-0 (9781496211880)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2019
1st Edition
University of Nebraska Press
€31.99
Available for download

E-Book
06/2019
1st Edition
University of Nebraska Press
€36.99
Available for download
Person
Mark Spitzer is an associate professor of writing at the University of Central Arkansas. He is the author of more than twenty-five books, including Season of the Gar: Adventures in Pursuit of America's Most Misunderstood Fish and Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West (Nebraska, 2017). Spitzer has consulted for Nat Geo's Monster Fish and appeared on Animal Planet's River Monsters.
Content
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
1. Demythologizing Demonologies: Snakeheads and Piranhas Rabid in the Amazon
2. Welsing for Colossals in Catfishalonia: A Hypothetical History
3. Cuda Chaos in the Dominican Republic: Only Beaten by the Waves
4. Sportfishing Gar: An Old Dog's Failure Proves a Point
5. Monster-Fishing Shark Off Montauk: Reframing the Narratives of Fisheries and Ourselves
6. Monster Carp in France: In Pursuit of Fish without Borders
7. Bananas for Tarpon: A Matter of Timing in the Gambia and Beyond
8. Striking Gold in Senegal: One Monster Fish Leads to Another
9. Attack of the Italian Zander: Putting Back More Than We Take Out
10. Translating an Eely Ionian Monsterfest into Top Predator Decimation: More Than Just a Metaphor
Conclusion: Fishery Solutions for the Disenlightenment
Notes
Acknowledgments
1. Demythologizing Demonologies: Snakeheads and Piranhas Rabid in the Amazon
2. Welsing for Colossals in Catfishalonia: A Hypothetical History
3. Cuda Chaos in the Dominican Republic: Only Beaten by the Waves
4. Sportfishing Gar: An Old Dog's Failure Proves a Point
5. Monster-Fishing Shark Off Montauk: Reframing the Narratives of Fisheries and Ourselves
6. Monster Carp in France: In Pursuit of Fish without Borders
7. Bananas for Tarpon: A Matter of Timing in the Gambia and Beyond
8. Striking Gold in Senegal: One Monster Fish Leads to Another
9. Attack of the Italian Zander: Putting Back More Than We Take Out
10. Translating an Eely Ionian Monsterfest into Top Predator Decimation: More Than Just a Metaphor
Conclusion: Fishery Solutions for the Disenlightenment
Notes