The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish

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 here. Reporting how the Asian arowana fish, an endangered species, has become a cultural and commercial phenomenon, journalist Voigt, whose work has been published in the New York Times, OnEarth, and Mother Jones, opens with the shocking murder of a young exotic fish seller who has an eye for selecting extremely valuable arowana. The author traveled to Singapore and other South Asian destinations, visiting fish conventions, exotic fish farms, and remote and dangerous locations trying to find out why the arowana cultivates such passion among exotic fish collectors. She discovered a surprisingly cutthroat business, encountering unusual characters such as Kenny the Fish, the reigning head of the South Asian aquaculture; ichthyologists Heiko Behler and Tyson Roberts; and Ralf Britz. Voigt skillfully intersperses historical and legal aspects of the unusual world of these sea creatures and poses a number of intriguing ethical questions for readers to ponder. Who knew that aquaculture could be so ruthless?