A recent study shows that the Arapaima is rapidly disappearing from the Amazon River.
The survey of fishing communities in Amazonas, Brazil, found that this giant fish, which can grow up to 10ft in length, and is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, is already extinct in some parts of the Amazon basin.
The results indicate that Arapaima populations are extinct in 19 percent of communities, depleted (approaching extinction) in 57 percent, and over-exploited in 17 percent.
However, it was also found that in those communities where fishing of these giants is regulated, the Arapaima is booming, with a density 100 times higher than in those areas without any fishing rules, offering researchers hope that its conservation is still possible. However, only 27 percent of the communities surveyed had management rules for fishing Arapaima.
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