Monster fish: Dubuque exhibit explores habitat, culture of world’s largest freshwater fish

DUBUQUE — With prehistoric roots, monster fish still swim among us in freshwater lakes and rivers from Asia and the Amazon to the Mighty Mississippi in our own backyard.

The stuff of legends and myths, in reality, their numbers and size are diminishing.

Zeb Hogan, aquatic ecologist, National Geographic Fellow and host of the Nat Geo WILD television series 'Monster Fish,' regularly takes viewers across six continents in search of these mega-fish that can grow to lengths exceeding 20 feet within their fragile ecosystems.

Education, itself a monster part of his preservation mission, has spawned a new National Geographic exhibition on view through Oct. 9 at the Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium.

Using a mixture of fun, fascination and facts, 'Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants' seeks to shed light on conservation efforts to save these creatures from years of overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction. It highlights 20 species, including:

• White sturgeon of North America, which can live more than 100 years and grow to 20 feet and 1,503 pounds;

• American paddlefish from the Mississippi River, which can live 55 years and grow to 7 feet 3 inches and 220 pounds;

• Alligator gar of the lower Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico coastal rivers and swamps, which can live 95 years and reach 10 feet and 300 pounds;

• Giant barb from the lower Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia, which can live 20 years in captivity and reach 9 feet 10 inches and 660 pounds;

• Largetooth sawfish from tropical coastal areas worldwide, which can live 44 years and grow to 21 feet 4 inches and 1,540 pounds;

• Goonch, a monster catfish from southern Asia, which can grow to 6 feet 7 inches and 143 pounds

• Piraiba from the Amazon, which can grow to 12 feet and 440 pounds;

• Pirarucu, 'the bacon of the Amazon,' an endangered food source that sports red-tipped scales and tiny teeth on its large tongue. It can live 20 years in captivity and grow to nearly 15 feet and 440 pounds.

The interactive exhibit debuted at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga in October, and the Dubuque riverfront complex is its second stop, said Andrew Brunner, assistant marketing manager at the Mississippi River Museum.

'We spend time every year looking at exhibits for the coming couple of years, and this is one that really piqued our interest,' Brunner said. 'We look at exhibits that are newer and haven't been many other places, so this really is the first time people are getting the chance to see something like this.'

FEATURES

Visitors of all ages can:

• sit on a riverbank terrace to watch the introductory film weaving legends and lore with the mysteries and realities of giant freshwater fish;

• wander among massive life-size sculptures and look at fish scales under a microscope;

• discover the cultural importance of these fish in food, traditions and art;

• 'fish' for colorful balls in a wave bin (which is harder than it sounds);

• move fish through an ecosystems obstacle course of dams and pollution pockets en route to finding healthy water (which is harder than it looks);

• Climb aboard a boat with Hogan to follow his video expeditions to exotic locales.

• Climb atop a supersize sawfish.

• Stare down the mouth of megamonsters and their menacing teeth and 'whiskers.'

• Take the 'keep or release' video game challenge, fishing for increasingly bigger, more elusive specimens.

• Track their personal environmental impact footprint.

l Reel in tons of information through giant panels and videos placed throughout the 5,000-foot gallery on the museum's second floor.

Hogan, an aquatic researcher, ecologist and professor in the College of Science at the University of Nevada-Reno, traveled May 19 and May 20 to Dubuque for a series of panel- and public discussions, as well as a meet-and-greet in the exhibit hall. Even if you weren't there, you can dive deeper into his world by downloading an exhibit guide under the 'Exhibits & Experiences' tab at Mississippiriver museum.com

'My research explores the balance between our needs as humans and the needs of these fish and other species that rely on healthy, freshwater ecosystems to survive,' he said in the guide. It's a valuable resource that will enhance the visitor experience, especially if read before entering the exhibit.

WHILE YOU'RE THERE

After experiencing the exhibit, be sure to go to the tanks on the first floor to see smaller versions of the river monsters, some of which are larger than your typical catch. The paddlefish get fed at 10:30 a.m., but still will be filtering their food — not chomping — for much longer, and it's fascinating to watch them open their huge mouths and see through the spaces in their filtering gills tucked way behind their spoonbills, in a quasi-pelican effect.

Other tanks hold Mississippi denizens familiar and foreign, from catfish and sturgeon to snakes, a skunk and an alligator you wouldn't want to meet onshore.

Housed in several buildings, the campus features more than a dozen aquariums, a 3-D and 4-D movie theater, riverboat museum, boatyard, indoor and outdoor river system habitats, a steamboat, blacksmith shop, gift shops and cafeterias. So don't be in a hurry — it's easy to make a day of it, with equal parts entertainment and education.

l Comments: (319) 368-8508; diana.nollen@thegazette.com