Paiche Fish Species is Increasingly Elusive in Amazonian Rivers

In the Brazilian Amazon, the paiche, a species of fish, is called Pirarucú. According to a legend, Pirarucú was a brave warrior, but cruel, selfish and proud of his power. He executed an entire village for no reason and also criticized the gods. Tired of his behavior, the gods punished him with fire, lightning and torrential rains. One of the thunderbolts hit the young warrior who refused to ask for forgiveness and he was thrown alive into the river, where he became a huge fish and ruthless hunter. The warrior was never seen again, only appearing as the fish with reddish scales.

The paiche can reach up to 3 meters in length and 250 kilograms in weight in its natural habitat.

Beyond the legend, the real curse of the paiche is its taste: its meat has no small bones and is low in fat. In Nuevo Rocafuerte, Peruvian fishermen offer salted paiche fillets and compare it to cod. For this reason it is considered the most in-demand species in the Amazon of Peru, Brazil and Ecuador.

The paiche has gone from being in danger of extinction due to overfishing to being an invasive species. It has been recorded in the rivers of Bolivia and in the Daule Peripa Dam in Ecuador. It is an aggressive fish with a high growth rate that adapts well to captivity. The Ministry of Environment has specific regulations for its management but there is no data available on its approximate population or captive production.

In the Ecuadorian Amazon, the paiche is protected, but is a victim of illegal fishing in the Yasuní National Park. Ecuadorian fisherman denounce this, saying that that fishing for paiche is a secondary activity on their days off and as a means of accessing protein. On the Peruvian side, there are professional fishermen who make a living from fishing. In this report we tried to find out how much paiche is fished in the Amazon and there is no available data. What we did find out is that the Ministry of Environment's control is almost nonexistent in the Napo River, but the fishermen have self-regulated and know that between April and July the paiche reproduces and should not be fished. We also noted the work of WCS with the fishermen of El Coca.

Read the full story here.

This story was produced with support from Internews' Earth Journalism Network. It was first published in Bitácora Ecuador on June 26, 2024. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Banner image: / Credit: A fisherman of the Napo River bragging about his catch of the day / Credit: Franklin Vega.