Turns out they cost around the same.

結果是他們要價差不多。

A single dragon fish can go for tens of thousands of dollars.

一隻龍魚可以要價數十萬美金。

So, what's so special about it?

所以牠到底有什麼特別的？

Well, it might not look it, but this endangered fish is so coveted, people have actually gone to prison over it.

聽起來或許有點扯，但這種瀕臨絕種的魚實在太多人想要了，甚至有人因為牠而坐牢。

The dragon fish gets its nickname for how it resembles a dragon in flight as it swims.

它之所以得到「龍魚」的別稱，是因為牠游動的樣子像是一條飛龍。

However, its real name is the Asian arowana.

但牠真實的名字其實是「亞洲骨舌魚」。

It's a freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia, and it has taken the aquarium market by storm.

牠是一種原生於東南亞的淡水魚，現已席捲了整個水族市場。

Today, these fish are so prized that some have their own motorcades, and breeders protect their stock with layers of concrete walls, complete with guard dogs and watchmen.

現今，這些魚備受尊崇，有些甚至有自己的車隊，育種商還會用一層層的水泥墻和配有守衛犬的守衛保護牠們。

There's even a market for cosmetic surgery to help subpar fish who need eye lifts or chin tucks.

甚至有市場是專門替無法達標的龍魚做整形手術，包括眼部抬起或下巴內縮手術。

And that may sound like overkill, but it's really not.

聽起來很誇張吧？但其實一點也不。

It's a very valuable commodity, and that had driven a tremendous amount of crime around the areas where it's bred.

牠是一種非常有價值的商品，因此在養殖地區引發了多起犯罪事件。

That's Emily Voigt, who explores this world for her book, "The Dragon Behind the Glass."

這是 Emily Voigt，她在她的著作《玻璃後的龍》中探索龍魚業界。

We're talking murder and midnight fish-napping.

我們指的可是謀殺罪和夜間綁架魚。

This wasn't always the case, however.

但龍魚並非一直以來都如此昂貴。

Up until the second half of the 20th century, these fish weren't flaunted.

直到 20 世紀的後半葉前，這種魚都還不怎麼受到重視。

They were fileted and eaten by locals.

牠們被當地人切片做成美食。

Then, in 1967, an aquarium trader traveling through northern Malaysia saw a dead arowana at a food market and found it so attractive that he sought one out to keep as a pet.

然後在 1967 年，一名水族商在馬來西亞北部旅遊時，在菜市場看到一隻死掉的骨舌魚，他覺得這種魚很吸引人，於是找來一隻當寵物飼養。

By the 1980s, arowanas had turned up in Taiwan, and eventually people all over Asia wanted one.

到了 1980 年代，骨舌魚出現在台灣，最後變得亞洲各地的人都想養一隻。

In particular, the red and gold varieties of arowana came to symbolize luck and wealth in several Asian cultures.

尤其是紅色和金色的骨舌魚在許多亞洲文化中都象徵福氣和財富。

All that has led to a whole mythology about the fish.

這也造就了龍魚的神話。

It's supposed to bring good luck and prosperity, even to jump out of its tank to save its owner.

牠會帶來好運以及財運，甚至跳出魚缸拯救飼主。

Nowadays, breeding for new color combinations is all the rage.

在現今，培育新花色的龍魚正盛行。

Like this fish, called the chili red, which you can get for around $1,400 each.

像這一種，叫做辣椒紅，一隻要價大約 1400 美金 (約台幣四萬三)。

Or the emerald violet fusion super red, which goes for about $12,000 each.

或是翡翠紫融艷紅，一隻甚至要價 12000 美金 (約台幣 37 萬)。

But no fish is more rare and valuable than the albino.

但哪一種也比不上稀有、有價值的白化龍魚。

In 2009, one of these supposedly set a record, selling for $300,000 to an anonymous high ranking official in the Chinese government.

於 2009 年，白化龍魚創下了記錄，以 30 萬美金 (近台幣 926 萬) 的高價賣給了一位匿名的中國政府高官。

In fact, most people who buy dragon fish are middle-class Chinese men, who'll collect the fish as a status symbol.

事實上，多數購買龍魚的人是中國中產階級的男子，他們收集龍魚作為地位象徵。

So keeping this fish is very much a macho hobby.

養這種魚算是一種男性化的嗜好。

There's not a lot of women that do it.

沒有很多女性會投入這領域。

And it's almost like collecting cars or something like that.

這其實很像是收集名車或是其他收集嗜好。

So in the mid-90s, when dragon fish were successfully bred in captivity on certified farms, it was a big deal, because they were becoming rare in the wild due to overfishing and harvesting for the pet trade.

所以在 90 年代中期，當龍魚在合格繁殖場裝籠繁殖時，可是一件大事，因為由於寵物交易的過度獵捕，牠們在野外都要絕跡了。

Since then, more demand has led to breeding operations all over Southeast Asia.

自那時起，市場更多的需求使得東南亞遍佈繁殖場。

And while it's perfectly legal to buy a dragon fish in the area, it may not be in other non-Asian countries.

雖然在該地購買龍魚絕對合法，但在亞洲國家以外的地區大概就不這麼一回事了。

In the US, for example, you can only find the Asian arowana on the black market.

舉例來說，在美國你只有在黑市才能買到亞洲骨舌魚。

And in fact, you can't bring it into the country legally, because it's banned by the US Endangered Species Act.

而且事實上，《美國受威脅物種條款》也禁止你將牠帶入美國。

People have actually gone to prison for trafficking this fish.

有人就是因為販賣龍魚而進了大牢。

So if you have an itch to have a dragon-like pet, maybe you should stick to something safer, like bearded dragons.

所以要是你很像養一隻像龍 (dragon) 的寵物，或許你該選安全一點的，像是鬃獅蜥 (bearded dragon)。