A Method to Count Pirarucu Arapaima gigas: Fishers, Assessment, and Management

Abstract

The giant and obligate air-breathing fish pirarucu Arapaima gigas (also known as arapaima) is a species endemic to the Amazon Basin that is increasingly managed by artisanal fishers because of government failure to control the fishery. In this study the ability of experienced artisanal fishers to count the number of pirarucu at the moment of aerial breathing was assessed. Counts were strongly correlated (r = 0.98) with mark–recapture abundance estimates calculated for the same populations. The potential for trained fishers to train other fishers to count pirarucu without slow and expensive mark–recapture work was also assessed and confirmed. Not only are the counts a cost-effective method for assessing pirarucu populations, they also allow fisher participation in decision making and contribute to effective management. The increasing number of community-based management schemes can now be matched with the training of fishers to count pirarucu.