Conservation efforts in the Brazilian Amazon have brought a giant fish called the arapaima back from the verge of extinction, National Geographic reported.
A decade ago, the arapaima, which can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 500 pounds, had been nearly wiped out by overfishing. However, local communities were unwilling to let that happen and began adopting sustainable fishing practices. As a result, arapaima populations have soared.
"People realized that through conservation, they can have a better life," said João Campos-Silva, a Brazilian ecologist and National Geographic Explorer who has been researching the fish. "For many, many decades, people have been looking to the outside for solutions to the problems in the Amazon, but the arapaima story shows that the answers are often in the hands of the local people and communities living in the forest."
According to Campos-Silva, arapaima populations in areas that adopted sustainable fishing practices — such as establishing a catch quota and not catching any arapaima under 5 feet long — have risen by 600%.
There are two major takeaways from this heartwarming story. One is that just as human activity has led to the extinction or near-extinction of many species, we can also change our behavior to help these species recover. Other recent examples of animals saved from the brink of extinction include the sei whales, wild horses in Mongolia, bluefin tuna, the Nīhoa Millerbird in Hawaii, and the California condor.
The other takeaway is that the best knowledge of how to protect and sustain the environment often comes from local communities. The input of the local arapaima fishermen ended up being invaluable in creating new rules and regulations that have now allowed these giant fish to flourish.
There are still unmanaged areas of the Amazon where arapaima may be going locally extinct — but hopefully, as word spreads about the good that these new practices have done, the fish will soon be more widely protected.
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