The dragon behind the glass : a true story of power, obsession, and the world's most coveted fish

A FINALIST FOR THE 2017 PEN/E. O. WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE A LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR "[A] curiously edifying book."--The New York Times Book Review "With the taut suspense of a spy novel, Voigt paints a vivid world of murder, black market deals, and habitat destruction surrounding a fish that's considered, ironically, to be a good-luck charm." --Discover "[An] immensely satisfying story, full of surprises and suspense ... Things get weird fast." --The Wall Street Journal A riveting journey into the bizarre world of the Asian arowana or "dragon fish"--the world's most expensive aquarium fish--reveals a surprising history with profound implications for the future of wild animals and human beings alike. A young man is murdered for his prized pet fish. An Asian tycoon buys a single specimen for $150,000. Meanwhile, a pet detective chases smugglers through the streets of New York. Delving into an outlandish realm of obsession, paranoia, and criminality, The Dragon Behind the Glass tells the story of a fish like none other: a powerful predator dating to the age of the dinosaurs. Treasured as a status symbol believed to bring good luck, the Asian arowana is bred on high-security farms in Southeast Asia and sold by the hundreds of thousands each year. In the United States, however, it's protected by the Endangered Species Act and illegal to bring into the country--though it remains the object of a thriving black market. From the South Bronx to Singapore, journalist Emily Voigt follows the trail of the fish, ultimately embarking on a years-long quest to find the arowana in the wild, venturing deep into some of the last remaining tropical wildernesses on earth. With a captivating blend of personal reporting, history, and science, The Dragon Behind the Glass traces our modern fascination with aquarium fish back to the era of exploration when intrepid naturalists stood on the cutting edge of modern science, discovering new and wondrous species in jungles all over the world. In an age when freshwater fish now comprise one of the most rapidly vanishing groups of animals on the planet, Voigt unearths a paradoxical truth behind the dragon fish's rise to fame--one that calls into question how we protect the world's rarest species. An elegant exploration of the human conquest of nature, The Dragon Behind the Glass revels in the sheer wonder of life's diversity and lays bare our deepest desire--to hold onto what is wild WINNER OF THE 2017 NASW SCIENCE IN SOCIETY JOURNALISM AWARD A FINALIST FOR THE 2017 PEN/E. O. WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE A LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR "[A] curiously edifying book." — The New York Times Book Review "With the taut suspense of a spy novel, Voigt paints a vivid world of murder, black market deals, and habitat destruction surrounding a fish that's considered, ironically, to be a good-luck charm." — Discover "[An] immensely satisfying story, full of surprises and suspense....Things get weird fast." — The Wall Street Journal An intrepid journalist's quest to find a wild Asian arowana—the world's most expensive aquarium fish—takes her on a global tour in this "engaging tale of obsession and perseverance...and an enthralling look at the intersection of science, commercialism, and conservationism" ( Publishers Weekly , starred review). A young man is murdered for his pet fish. An Asian tycoon buys a single specimen for $150,000. Meanwhile, a pet detective chases smugglers through the streets of New York. With "the taut suspense of a spy novel" ( Discover ) The Dragon Behind the Glass tells the story of a fish like none other. Treasured as a status symbol believed to bring good luck, the Asian arowana, or "dragon fish," is a dramatic example of a modern paradox: the mass-produced endangered species. While hundreds of thousands are bred in captivity, the wild fish as become a near-mythical creature. From the South Bronx to Borneo and beyond, journalist Emily Voigt follows the trail of the arowana to learn its fate in nature. "A fresh, lively look at an obsessive desire to own a piece of the wild" ( Kirkus Reviews ), The Dragon Behind the Glass traces our fascination with aquarium fish back to the era of exploration when naturalists stood on the cutting edge of modern science. In an age when freshwater fish now comprise one of the most rapidly vanishing groups of animals, Voigt unearths a surprising truth behind the arowana's rise to fame—one that calls into question how we protect the world's rarest species. "Not since Candace Millard published The River of Doubt has the world of the Amazon, Borneo, Myanmar, and other exotic locations been so colorfully portrayed as it is now in Emily Voigt's The Dragon Behind the Glass ...a must-read" ( Library Journal , starred review). A journalist's quest to find a wild Asian arowana the world's most expensive aquarium fishtakes her on a global tour through the bizarre realm of ornamental fish hobbyists to some of the most remote jungles on the planet. A young man is murdered for his prized pet fish. An Asian tycoon buys a single specimen for $150,000. Meanwhile, a pet detective chases smugglers through the streets of New York. Delving into an outlandish world of obsession, paranoia, and criminality, The Dragon Behind the Glass tells the story of a fish like none other. Treasured as a status symbol believed to bring good luck, the Asian arowana, or dragon fish, is a dramatic example of a modern paradox: the mass-produced endangered species. While hundreds of thousands are bred in captivity, the wild fish has become a near-mythical creature. From the South Bronx to Borneo and beyond, journalist Emily Voigt follows the trail of the arowana to learn its fate in nature. With a captivating blend of personal reporting, history, and science, Voigt traces our fascination with aquarium fish back to the era of exploration when intrepid naturalists stood on the cutting edge of modern science, discovering new species around the globe. In an age when freshwater fish now comprise one of the most rapidly vanishing groups of animals, she unearths a surprising truth behind the arowanas rise to fameone that calls into question how we protect the worlds rarest species. An elegant examination of the human conquest of nature, The Dragon Behind the Glass revels in the sheer wonder of lifes diversity and lays bare our deepest desireto hold on to what is wild. Part I: "Dragons in their pleasant palaces". The pet detective ; The fish ; The arowana cartel ; Aquarama ; The dragon's den Part II: The edge of the known world. The living fish ; The explorers ; Naming rights ; Part III: The super red. In the age of aquariums ; Ghost fish ; Part IV: Fish #32,107. Monsters of our making ; "The authorities will be watching you" ; Beard of the crocodile Part V: Into the lair. The paradox of value ; Fish meets world ; Plan C ; Here be dragons. A riveting journey into the bizarre world of the Asian arowana, or 'dragon fish', the world's most expensive aquarium fish, reveals a surprising history with profound implications for the future of wild animals and human beings alike. A young man is murdered for his prized pet fish. An Asian tycoon buys a single specimen for $150,000. Meanwhile, a pet detective chases smugglers through the streets of New York