Jeremy Wade
Encyclopedia
Jeremy John Wade is a British biologist
, television presenter, extreme angler
and writer specializing in travel and natural history
. He is best known for his television series River Monsters
, produced by Icon Films
. He holds a special interest in freshwater
and has been traveling around the world fishing for giant freshwater fish
.
Suffolk
, England
, UK, where his father was a vicar
. He has a degree in zoology
from Bristol University and a postgraduate teaching certificate in biological sciences from the University of Kent
and has worked as a secondary school
biology teacher in Kent. He says he taught himself how to be a writer and has published articles on poaching
, fair trade
, and travel in newspapers and magazines; he is now a TV personality. In order to further pursue his career as a fisherman, Wade made his first trip to India
in 1982. Other trips of Wade's include traveling to the Congo River
and South America
. He revealed in the show River Monsters: Unhooked, Revisiting the Amazon
that before his first trip there he studied Portuguese
three hours a day for three months to prepare; he has since worked as a Portuguese-English translator.
, which has caused long term heart damage. Later in the same show, the small aircraft carrying Jeremy and his film crew crashed into the jungle. The show concludes with Jeremy catching a 200lb 6 foot long arapaima
fish. He mentions in the show that it was the largest fresh water fish he had ever caught. Jeremy Wade caught his biggest fish, the stingray, in the second season of his show.
On the episode named "Hidden Predator" (Original air date: May 30, 2010) he caught a 500 lb, 9-foot, 10-inch, male bull shark
.
He has also caught a Hoplias aimara
, which is a very aggressive fish.
Wade frequently targets and catches multiple varieties of catfish
across the globe.
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
, television presenter, extreme angler
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
and writer specializing in travel and natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
. He is best known for his television series River Monsters
River Monsters
River Monsters is a documentary television series that airs on Animal Planet, hosted by Jeremy Wade and produced by Icon Films of Bristol, UK. The first season aired from 5 April to 17 May 2009. A second season began airing on 25 April 2010...
, produced by Icon Films
Icon Films
Icon Films is an award winning British independent television production company that produces factual programmes for broadcast by networks both in the UK and US...
. He holds a special interest in freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
and has been traveling around the world fishing for giant freshwater fish
Freshwater fish
Freshwater fish are fish that spend some or all of their lives in freshwater, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 0.05%. These environments differ from marine conditions in many ways, the most obvious being the difference in levels of salinity...
.
Personal life
Jeremy Wade was brought up in ruralRural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, UK, where his father was a vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
. He has a degree in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
from Bristol University and a postgraduate teaching certificate in biological sciences from the University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
and has worked as a secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
biology teacher in Kent. He says he taught himself how to be a writer and has published articles on poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
, fair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
, and travel in newspapers and magazines; he is now a TV personality. In order to further pursue his career as a fisherman, Wade made his first trip to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1982. Other trips of Wade's include traveling to the Congo River
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. He revealed in the show River Monsters: Unhooked, Revisiting the Amazon
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
that before his first trip there he studied Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
three hours a day for three months to prepare; he has since worked as a Portuguese-English translator.
Jungle Hooks and River Monsters
On the episode of Jungle Hooks named "Amazonian Giant" filmed in 2002, it was shown Jeremy was struck in the chest by a 170 lb arapaimaArapaima
The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is a South American tropical freshwater fish. It is a living fossil and one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world.-Anatomy and morphology:...
, which has caused long term heart damage. Later in the same show, the small aircraft carrying Jeremy and his film crew crashed into the jungle. The show concludes with Jeremy catching a 200lb 6 foot long arapaima
Arapaima
The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is a South American tropical freshwater fish. It is a living fossil and one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world.-Anatomy and morphology:...
fish. He mentions in the show that it was the largest fresh water fish he had ever caught. Jeremy Wade caught his biggest fish, the stingray, in the second season of his show.
On the episode named "Hidden Predator" (Original air date: May 30, 2010) he caught a 500 lb, 9-foot, 10-inch, male bull shark
Bull shark
The bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, also known as Zambezi shark or unofficially known as Zambi in Africa and Nicaragua shark in Nicaragua, is a shark common worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers...
.
He has also caught a Hoplias aimara
Hoplias aimara
The Hoplias aimara, also known as Anjumara, Anjoemara and Wolf Fish, is a species of freshwater fish found in the rivers of South America. There have been many unproven stories of vicious attacks on humans, as Jeremy Wade proves on River Monsters....
, which is a very aggressive fish.
Wade frequently targets and catches multiple varieties of catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
across the globe.