Saving El Dorado's freshwater giants

(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.
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.


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.