Guyana Chronicle
May 27, 2001

THE steadily decreasing population of Arapaima in Guyana is causing alarm in environmental circles, and recommendations for the preservation of the species have been made following a survey of the numbers of the fish remaining in the North Rupununi.

Over the past two months, the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB), the Mamiraua Institute for Sustainable Development (Brazil), and Iwokrama, have been working under a memorandum of understanding with the Fisheries Department to survey the numbers of Arapaima remaining in the North Rupununi.

Biologist from Mamiraua, Leandro Castello, four Brazilian fishermen, and 14 fishermen from the North Rupununi, carried out the surveys in the North Rupununi, a statement from Iwokrama said.

The team counted the numbers of fish in over 150 lakes. The results suggested that only 425 Arapaima over one metre long remain in the North Rupununi. Of these, only 213 are longer than 1.5 metres. Local fishermen suggest that the numbers of Arapaima found today are much fewer the numbers previously found in the North Rupununi, though there are no previous surveys to compare the numbers.

The Arapaima, Pirarucu, or Paiche is one of the most interesting fish in the world.

It can reach up to three metres long and can weigh over 200 kilos, making it the largest scaled fresh water fish in South America.

The Arapaima eats other fish and is a top predator in Amazonian rivers. As such, this fish is important in regulating the populations of other fish species in rivers and wetlands. The Arapaima also has very complicated reproductive behaviour that includes migration, nesting, and taking care of the young ones. Interestingly, the Arapaima is also one of the few fish that has to breath air to survive; they surface every 15 minutes, almost like a dolphin, to take a gulp of air.

Arapaima is also one of the most sought after fish species in the Amazon. The meat is boneless and constitutes up to 50 per cent of the total body weight of the fish. A large Arapaima could yield up to 100 kilos of meat and be worth about G$40,000; a smaller fish may be worth G$8,000.

Arapaima can be found in the Rewa, Essequibo and Rupununi Rivers in the North Rupununi sub-region, although historically, they may have had a much wider distribution in Guyana. Unfortunately, demands from markets in Brazil have reduced Arapaima populations in Guyana to very low levels.

The major market for Arapaima is in neighbouring Brazil, where the Brazilians have already reduced many populations to commercial extinction. Other markets for the fish are Annai and Lethem.

In some cases, local fishermen have been harvesting the fish, but of greatest concern is the increasing number of outsiders from Lethem, Brazil and Georgetown who are also harvesting Arapaima in the area. The local law enforcement agents have been relatively ineffective in implementing the law.

Because of over-harvest, the Arapaima is protected in Guyana by the Fisheries Regulations. But, since Arapaima is such an important source of income, people frequently ignore these regulations. For example, Iwokrama recalled, recently, the Community Development Council of Fairview Village, Region Eight, have complained that a fisherman from Lethem was killing breeding Arapaima in Stanley Lake on the Essequibo River.

Part of the agreement between Iwokrama and Mamiraua was for the Brazilian team to make recommendations from the surveys as to the most effective mechanisms to manage Arapaima in Guyana. The recommendations come from fisheries management experiences in Brazil.

The major recommendation was that Guyana moves toward developing regulations that help with co-management of the Arapaima fisheries. Co-management means that local communities would work with government agencies such as the Fisheries Department and the Environmental Protection Agency to manage the fishery. In this way, the government agencies would be responsible for providing a regulatory framework for management, while the communities would implement the management system.

Another recommendation is that the government should permit a limited local fishery for Arapaima with markets in Guyana, rather than in Brazil. The team suggested that only local communities should be allowed to harvest Arapaima and that these exclusive harvest rights would guarantee local people direct economic benefits and so give them an incentive to ensure the future conservation of Arapaima in the area. Fisheries committees in the villages and at the North Rupununi District Development Board would calculate every year's permissible harvest based on stock surveys by trained fishermen.

The reason for opening a local sustainable market was that the demand for Arapaima in Guyana is likely to be manageable. One suggestion is that Arapaima could be eaten at restaurants and resorts as part of the developing eco-tourism industry. The EPA and Fisheries Development would certify the Arapaima as sustainably harvested.

The team also suggested that the minimum harvest size should be 1.5 metres long and that Arapaima should not be fished when breeding. The loss of one adult during breeding would result in the loss of many young ones because of dependence on the adult for protection.

Banning of trade in Arapaima has not worked in the past. The reason that the trade ban did not work, Iwokrama said, is that the Fisheries Department and other agencies are unable to effectively enforce the laws in the interior of Guyana.

If the Fisheries Department works with local communities to develop management plans for the Arapaima, then the communities could take on much of the responsibility for enforcing regulations.

The key to the future of the Arapaima in Guyana, the environmental organisation said, is effective implementation of rules and regulations developed jointly by the communities and the government.

Recently, Iwokrama held meetings with Fisheries Development staff and community representatives to discuss possible steps forward. The hope is that Iwokrama can facilitate the links between the Fisheries Department, EPA, and the communities that will lead to the effective management of Arapaima in Guyana.

In addition, it is hoped that environmental education programmes could be developed to increase awareness in Guyana about the sustainable use of natural resources.