Get hooked on this charismatic fish . . . Learn more:
Photo credit: Olaf Nelson
Fisherman Olaf Nelson of Brookfield, Illinois is hooked on alligator gar. He calls them a charismatic fish.
“They’re heavily armored. They have more teeth than just about any other kind of fish you’re going to encounter…,” says Nelson.
For a long time, people wrongly assumed gar endanger game fish, and tried to eradicate them. In the nineties, the alligator gar was declared extinct in Illinois.
But these big, native fish have been reintroduced. And in 2013, Nelson became the first to catch an alligator gar in Illinois since the sixties.
Recently, the state legislature adopted a resolution urging the department of natural resources to restock and protect gar. This gives teeth to alligator gar conservation efforts in Illinois.
Get Schooled:
- Learn more about the alligator gar from National Geographic.
- Dive into five fun facts about the alligator gar compiled by Field & Stream.
- Check out the status of the state legislature’s conservation efforts in Illinois.
- Reel in seven myth-busting facts about alligator gar provided by Joe Cermele’s first-hand experience.
Hear More:
Listen to Olaf Nelson talk about the misconceptions of alligator gar.
Watch More:
Spend some time with this television documentary written/directed by Betty Wills.
The fine print:
- CurrentCast is produced in partnership with Cornell University’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. Learn more at http://www.currentcast.org.
