Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Text and photos by Walter M. Wust

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The sale of the paiche is limited. Progress in its conservation pleases the fishermen, because it was in the brink of total disappearance in the Dorado.

© LIP

(LIP-jl) -- Aiming to save the paiche, the biggest freshwater fish in the world, a small group of local fishermen from Loreto decided to work for their conservation. The result was a successful example of how resource management is beginning to bear fruit.

If Brazil has the Pantanal and Botswana the Okavango Delta, then Peru should feel proud to count Pacaya-Samiria among its protected natural areas.

More than two million hectares of lakes, swamps and wetlands form this corner of the Amazon forest, creating a true magnet for wildlife.

It is, without doubt, the kingdom of aquatic species, among which the gigantic paiche stands out. Weighing in at up to 300 kilos and measuring some 3 meters, it is the biggest freshwater fish in the world.

In the heart of Pacaya-Samiria lies El Dorado Lake, a remote place of incomparable beauty. Here, among the ancient forests and rivers that resemble mirrors, nature seems to have been protected since the beginning of time.

But it wasn’t always like this. Even out here, many days from Iquitos, the hand of man was about to end the existence of one of the forest’s most valuable resources.

Attracted by the abundance of different species, fishermen came to El Dorado in even greater numbers. The fishing was good, and the boats returned with full cargos to the markets of Iquitos and Belén.

The bonanza lasted for a few years, and then the paiche became scarcer. Each time the fishermen went out they had to go further into the network of rivers and lakes to find fish of a reasonable size.

The forest fell silent. The loud cries of the giant of the jungle were no longer heard. The paiche was on the verge of extinction.

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There is a conservation plan of the Paiche in the El Dorado Lake, located in the Herat of the Pacaya Samiria, with very positive results.

© LIP

Alarmed by the situation, the fishermen from the riverside community of Manco Cápac decided to do something about it. In coordination with the environmental organization ProNaturaleza and the Reserve’s managers, they initiated a pilot project to preserve the paiche and the region’s other resources.

A company called YacuTayta (in Quechua, literally “the father of the water" was formed. YacuTayta was the first ever communal fishing company whose stated aim was the sustainable development of the resources of the Pacaya-Samiria.

El Dorado now came under the protection of constant patrols and severe sanctions for offenders. Fishing was banned to allow the lakes to recover.

The results were quick in coming. From just four sightings of paiche in 1994, numbers have risen to an estimated 400 in the dark waters of El Dorado. The years of hard work have begun to make sense and the possibilities for short term management are now discernible.

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The paiche is the largest fresh water fish in the world.

© LIP

Today, after two years of a self-imposed ban on fishing, the people of Manco Cápac have begun to harvest the lake’s most precious gift once more. The paiche, dry and salty, will be taken to market and the profits from its sale will be shared among all the community’s fishermen.

Thanks to the project’s success, the model developed by YacuTayta has begun to be adopted by neighboring communities. Currently, as many as five communal companies dedicated to the conservation and management of paiche and araguana are working together to protect the rivers and lakes of this part of the Amazon.

The old men smile and the children see a more hopeful future. "There will be paiche for everyone", says Don Manuel, the fishermen’s mayor, while he rolls a cigarette with black tobacco.

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Read link "Fishing-News", May 8, on:
http://hem.passagen.se/kent.andersson

I visited El Dorado in September.  This is a compelling story and while the accommodations there are modest, it is worth visiting and supporting the wonderful, kind people of Manco Cápac, who are doing vital work.  The Amazon rainforest is a vast commons with little or no government presence in the backcountry.  Therefore, efforts like these are vital to sustaining the ecosystem in a way that will provide for the people living there without decimating its plants and animals.

I visited the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve after traveling from Nauta on the El Delfin, a wonderful river boat with 7 air conditioned cabins.

Awesome article. My business partner and I are proud to have the only lake re-stocked with paiche of different size classes and are even able to offer this amazing fish on a catch and release approach to our customers in a lodge close to Iquitos. Fishing of natural occurring paiche will only further its vulnerability. Management, farming and re-stocking protected bodies of water is one way to alleviate the paiche´s predicament.

Correction. Should have written "my client" instead of "business partner". Excuse the confusion.

I am inyerested in paiche and all that is related.

yow that is cool

incredible fish. been working in the bering sea for years and never seen anything like the paiche. closest would be the sturgeon, but paiche is way livelier and active. my friend and partner practices catch and realease. no other way can b e viable for the paiche today.

hi fred ,
nice to meet u & i so your have been in a top stage in fishing so
i wishu all the best and send me your letest tetails in fishing only fish images daly 4 my inbox like i attach in my mail
best regads
ralph

wow!thats huge. where did u find it?i have a fish that looks like it but its only gray, has a big mouth and has eyes that are so small you can barely see them.whats the name of the fish u found?and how did you catch a fish that big with out it bitting you? does it have no teeth?if u know what type my fish is pleace email me. p.s. my fish is only about 16 or 18 cm long.and if you can give me your email i can show you a picture of my fish.

The backstory behind the management groups in the Pacaya Samaria Reserve such as YacuTayta, Manco Capac, XX enero, etc? 

The Peruvian Foundation for the Conservation of Nature - http://www.ProNaturaleza.org