News

Recent data indicates that the arapaima, a giant fish from the Amazon river basin, is being overexploited in many areas and has even been fished to extinction in some local areas.

Growing up to 10 feet long and reaching 400 pounds, the arapaima is a monster of a fish, and because it needs to come to the surface every five to fifteen minutes to breathe, it’s also a relatively easy catch for fishermen using harpoons.

Three out of the five species of arapaima have not been seen for decades and research shows that arapaima are extinct in 19 percent of communities, depleted in 41 percent, and overexploited in 17 percent.

On the other hand, in communities where fishing rules have been imposed, the density of arapaima is 100 times higher than in communities with no fishing restrictions.

Read more here.