Arapaima Research, for Science & Business

In 2001, the North Rupununi District Development Board, the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development of Tefé, Amazonas State, Brazil, and Iwokrama worked under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Fisheries Department to survey the numbers of Arapaima (Arapaima gigas) remaining in the North Rupununi.

A biologist from Mamirauá, Leandro Castello, along with four Brazilian fishermen and fourteen fishermen from the North Rupununi carried out the surveys in the North Rupununi. The team counted the numbers of fish in over 150 lakes. The results suggest that only 425 Arapaima over one meter long are left in the North Rupununi; of these only 213 are longer than 1.5 meters. Local fishermen suggest that the numbers of Arapaima found today are much fewer than used to be found in the North Rupununi, though there are no previous surveys to compare the numbers.

Giant specimens such as this one are becoming increasingly rare due to over fishing.

Recommendations for Species Management

Part of the agreement between Iwokrama and Mamirauá 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 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 ecotourism industry with the EPA and Fisheries Department could certify the Arapaima as sustainably harvested.

The team also suggested that the minimum harvest size should be 1.5 metres (5 ft.) 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 the trade in Arapaima has not worked in the past; as can be seen by the continuing decline in Arapaima in Guyana.

The reason that the trade ban did not work 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.

Conclusions

The key to the future of the Arapaima in Guyana is effective implementation of rules and regulations developed jointly by the communities and the government. Recently, Iwokrama held meetings with Fisheries Department 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.

Through well-regulated fisheries management and careful monitoring, the average native fisherman will still be able to participate in the Arapaima harvesting industry.