Return of the Gar (Southwestern Nature Writing Series): 3 - Hardcover

Spitzer, Mark

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1574415999 ISBN 13: 9781574415995

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press, 2015

Synopsis

The alligator gar belongs to a family of fish that has remained fundamentally unchanged since the Cretaceous, over 100 million years ago. Its intimidating size and plethora of teeth have made it demonized throughout its range in North America, resulting in needless killing. Massive oil spills in its breeding range have not helped its population either. Interspersing science, folklore, history, and action-packed fishing narratives, Spitzer's empathy for and fascination with this air-breathing, armored fish provides for an entertaining odyssey that examines management efforts to preserve and propagate the alligator gar in the United States.

Spitzer also travels to Central America, Thailand, and Mexico to assess the global gar situation. He reflects on what is and isn't working in compromised environments, then makes a case for conservation based on personal experience and a love for wildness for its own sake. This colorful portrait of the alligator gar can serve as a metaphor and measurement for the future of our biodiversity during a time of planetary crisis.

About this title

About the Author

Mark Spitzer has caught and studied gar all over the planet, leading to an appearance on Animal Planet’s River Monsters. He also consulted for National Geographic’s Monster Fish episode on the alligator gar. The author of 21 books, including fiction, poetry, translations, and nonfiction, Spitzer is an associate professor of creative writing at the University of Central Arkansas, USA and the editor of Toad Suck Review.

Edition details

• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1574415999
• ISBN 13: 9781574415995
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256