Rift Valley Killers is the sixth episode of the second season of River Monsters.
Episode Description[]
Jeremy is on a quest to Africa's Rift Valley, to explore the roots of fishing and the monsters these first fishermen faced. A dangerous place, with killer crocs, hippos and warring gangs, but at its heart is a worthy prize: the Mputa, Aka Nile Perch.
Episode Summary[]
Jeremy hears of a story from Africa's Great Rift Valley, perhaps the oldest fishing spot on earth, that would suggest that very large Nile Perch, a species of giant fish that have become increasingly rare, still exist. Recently, fishermen brought in an individual weighing 250 pounds, although it died after it was caught due to a fight it had with a Nile Crocodile while still on the line. Jeremy suspects that other very large individuals still exist.
However, catching this species is no easy task. Not only are they incredibly large and powerful, they are also wily. In his 2011 book River Monsters, Jeremy states that he believes Nile Perch can associate a general bad experience with bait, and therefore are not that likely to be re-hooked. In many of the lakes, these fish are released after being caught, which adds to the problem. Finally, while the lakes are bountiful, they are commercially fished on such a large scale that most of the fish found in them are relatively small.
At the end of the investigation, Jeremy travels to a waterfall with the ominous name of the "Devil's Cauldron". In these extreme rapids, Jeremy manages to bring in a Nile Perch that weighs around 110 pounds. He finds this to be an encouraging sign that this species is not dying out of this region.
Trivia[]
- Rather than featuring an investigation, it focuses on Jeremy Wade hunting down for a rare fish known as the Nile Perch.
- In this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFLKp85XAgM on the River Monsters YouTube Channel, it is said that Jeremy chipped his tooth and needed "superglue surgery" but it wasn't shown in the episode.