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Date
February 10, 2009
- Time 7:30 p.m
- Location Chicago, IL
- Price 3-part series tickets: Member $60; General Public $65 Single Tickets: Member $22; General Public $24
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Time: 1:49
Zeb Hogan displays a chao phraya catfish, which is now extremely rare in the wild and in urgent need of study to assess its conservation status.
Dr. Zeb Hogan
Photograph by Rebecca Hale/National GeographicEcologist, National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and Fulbright Scholar Dr. Zeb Hogan is traveling the world searching for giants—giant freshwater fish, that is.
As director of the National Geographic Megafishes Project, Hogan is leading teams of investigators to study freshwater ecosystems on six continents. His mission: to document more than 20 species of fish at least two meters in length or 200 pounds in weight. Surprisingly, while the world’s largest marine and terrestrial animals have been well studied, we still know relatively little about the denizens of our rivers and lakes. Yet these freshwater ecosystems support tens of thousands of species—and hundreds of millions of people.
Hogan’s project is operating with a sense of urgency, racing against the extinction of bear-size catfish, half-ton stingrays, giant trout and sturgeon, and other monster fish. These species are fighting two dire threats—fishermen trying to pull them from the water and pollutants flowing into the water. In populous areas, Hogan involves local anglers in his research, hoping to engender pride in the bounty of their lakes and rivers, and to encourage sustainable fishing practices. In more remote areas, such as the Mekong wetlands of Cambodia, Inner Mongolia, and Canada, Hogan and his team are hurrying to gain new insights that will help native species survive and thrive in the modern world.
Explore the international revival of Celtic identity with photographer Jim Richardson.
Mountaineer Peter Athans shares a true story of discovery in the Himalaya.
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