HOOK, LINE AND EXTREME FISHING!

ANIMAL PLANET'S ULTIMATE FISHING ROADTRIP SERIES "OFF THE HOOK: EXTREME CATCHES" SETS SAIL FOR A NEW SEASON

-- Amateur Fisherman and Professional Wrestler Showtime Eric Young Drops Anchor In Hawaii, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Alaska and More Exotic Locations --

(New York, New York, May 9, 2013) - Let's get ready to... extreme fish! Animal Planet's ultimate fishing road-trip series OFF THE HOOK: EXTREME CATCHES featuring professional wrestler Showtime Eric Young returns to the ring on Sunday, June 16, at 8 PM (ET/PT) with 18 new half-hour episodes. Back by popular demand, Eric continues his gonzo journey into fishing subcultures where crazy ideas turn into working techniques for hauling in the big ones. Now, Eric's adrenaline-fueled quest for fishing glory is taking him to even more extreme environments where most average anglers fear to tread.

This season, Eric packs his swim trunks and travels throughout and beyond the continental U.S., from Alaska and Hawaii to Montreal, Minnesota, Puerto Rico and even Mexico! His quest will lead him to the dangerous Bering Sea, where he'll join a hardened crew of cod fisherman on a three-day journey in sub-zero waters to the tropical islands of the Atlantic, where he'll dodge tiger sharks while he spearfishes in the middle of the ocean. With pit stops in Florida, Texas, Oregon and California to try new challenges involving alligators and monster-sized grouper, Eric will meet and fish with some of the most unusual characters in the fishing world.

From tarpon fishing on stand-up kayaks, to free-dive underwater spear fishing for small-mouthed bass beneath a frozen river, to slingshot bait fishing for sturgeon, to a massive annual ice fishing festival on a frozen lake, Showtime Eric Young embraces odd, local traditions practiced for decades and centuries, and no matter how long it takes, how crazy it seems or how many bumps and bruises he gets along the way, he won't stop 'til he catches the ultimate fish.

OFF THE HOOK: EXTREME CATCHES is a production of part2 pictures for Animal Planet. Gregory Henry and David Shadrack Smith are the executive producers for part2 pictures, and Vaibhav Bhatt is the supervising producer for Animal Planet. OFF THE HOOK: EXTREME CATCHES was created by Charlie Foley.

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.