LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Animal Planet is diving deep to bring a variety of TV shows for their upcoming summer season, focusing on the underwater animal kingdom.

The network said it will debut new show "Fish America," which follows professional wrestler Showtime Eric Young on a road trip across the U.S. exploring extreme, unusual and dangerous fishing techniques.

The new show will be joined by a summer miniseries spinoff from Animal Planet's popular hit show "Hillbilly Handfishin,'" which follows 'noodlers,' fisherman capturing catfish with bare hands.

The two programs will be scheduled alongside Animal Planet's popular shows -- "River Monsters," where extreme angler Jeremy Wade tracks down big fish from local folklore, "Whale Wars," following a conservation campaign to stop whale hunting in the oceans, and "Tanked," a reality show following an aquarium manufacturing company.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant)