Alligator gar is a large fish species that once inhabited waters of the Gulf of Mexico to Illinois, but went extinct half a century ago. Now the species appeared to be reemerging. They can help control the population of Asian carp, which is an invasive species that has been spreading to the Great Lakes.

Alligator gar is predators to Asian carp, which are generally of a size 4 feet and 100 pounds. On the other hand, alligator gar can grow more than 9 feet and 300 pounds. Alligator gar has a head that resembles an alligator and has two rows of needle-like teeth. It has been completed destroyed, except in the Southern states in the tributaries of the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.

Earlier, the fish was thought to be threatening sport fish. Thus, it was exterminated by many anglers. However, now the species is seen as valuable and a weapon against the invasive Asian carp. There are efforts in place to reintroduce the alligator gar to the northern part of its former range.

The largest fish, native to Illinois, alligator gar has not been seen since the last documented alligator gar catch in the Cache River cutoff channel in southern Illinois in 1966. After that, in 1990s, it was declared extinct in Illinois.

A program to reintroduce the alligator program was started by IDNR, but remained non-operational for last two years. State lawmakers are now working on a bill to reintroduce the long extinct fish. They would put the species in the list of those against the invasive Asian carp.

"What else is going to be able to eat those monster carp? We haven't found any other way to control them”, said Allyse Ferrara, an alligator gar expert at Nicholls State University in Louisiana.

According to a report in Cbs Local by TAMMY WEBBER, "Persecuted by anglers and deprived of places to spawn, the alligator gar with a head that resembles an alligator and two rows of needlelike teeth survived primarily in southern states in the tributaries of the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico after being declared extinct in several states farther north. To many, it was a freak, a “trash fish” that threatened sportfish, something to be exterminated."

“What else is going to be able to eat those monster carp?” said Allyse Ferrara, an alligator gar expert at Nicholls State University in Louisiana, where the species is relatively common. “We haven’t found any other way to control them.”

“Some horrible things have been done to this fish,” said Ferrara, adding that sport fisheries are healthier with gar to keep troublesome species like carp under control. “It’s similar to how we used to think of wolves; we didn’t understand the role they played in the ecosystem.”

A report published in LA Times revealed, "It's a toothy giant that can grow longer than a horse and heavier than a refrigerator, a fearsome-looking prehistoric fish that plied U.S. waters from the Gulf of Mexico to Illinois until it disappeared from many states half a century ago."

Alligator gar, the second-largest U.S. freshwater fish behind the West Coast's white sturgeon, have shown a taste for Asian carp, which have been spreading and outcompeting native fish for food. The gar dwarf the invading carp, which themselves can grow to 4 feet and 100 pounds. The largest alligator gar caught was 8½ feet and 327 pounds, and they can grow even larger.

"Some horrible things have been done to this fish," said Ferrara, adding that sport fisheries are healthier with gar to keep troublesome species like carp under control. "It's similar to how we used to think of wolves; we didn't understand the role they played in the ecosystem."