From remote Ugandan waterfalls to the murky waters off the coast of West Africa, ecologist and fisherman Andy Coetzee goes to extreme lengths to catch some of the rarest, most prized fish in the world.
Coetzee's efforts are the subject of a new three-part television series from the Smithsonian Channel, called "Fishing for Giants." Viewers can watch the fisherman dodge crocodiles and dive deep below the ocean's surface in the hunt for elusive creatures.
Each of the three episodes revolves around a single species. The first, which debuted April 25, features the Nile perch — the largest freshwater fish in Africa. The second episode airs on Wednesday, May 2 at 8 p.m. and follows Coetzee's pursuit of the aggressive dogtooth tuna. In the final installment on May 9, Coetzee will go after the Guinean barracuda, which boasts 3-inch fangs.
But Coetzee doesn't kill the fish for sport or even for food — the creatures he catches get released in places where they have the highest chances of survival.
Take a peek behind the scenes at some of Andy's most notorious catches:
Fishing for Nile perch is a dangerous game. The fish can grow up to 300 pounds and like to congregate in deep pools in front of waterfalls, like the Murchison Falls in Uganda.
"I was fishing right at the base of the falls in a little aluminum boat, with a little 15-horsepower engine at the back," Coetzee told Business Insider.
"It was — how would you say — it was, uh, sphincter pucker!" Coetzee said.
Coetzee and the boat's captain trailed the perch into calmer waters — but that, he said, is where the crocodiles hang out.
"Crocodiles' main food source is fish," Coetzee said. "And so to a 10-foot, or 12-foot, or even 18-foot crocodile, the Nile Perch is worthwhile eating."
He described one particular instance in which a crocodile came after a fish he'd hooked.
"I wasn't going to let that crocodile get the fish — it was me against the crocodile, in a sense," he said.
Crocodiles, though menacing, are a good sign that fish might be around.
"Where crocodiles are hanging out, that's a sign that there's high fish density," Coetzee said. "So it's gotta be a good place to fish."
Even once Coetzee had hooked a massive Nile perch — which he'd been fighting for hours — he said he was worried a crocodile could still sneak up on him.
"I've got my back to the water, I'm tired, I'm talking to the camera, what am I supposed to do?" Coetzee said. "I might get bitten, but you know, oh well, you only live once."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider