GEORGETOWN, Guyana--Two adult and 25 juvenile Arapaimas were safely moved from a drying pond located upstream the Essequibo River from the Iwokrama River Lodge.
According to press statement from the Iwokrama International Centre, the dedicated team of Iwokrama staffers and community residents spent the day of November 10 carefully transferring the fish to the river body.
The statement noted that Iwokrama management was informed of the stranded Arapaimas on November 2 by officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and sent a monitoring team the next day, led by Head Ranger, to investigate.
“One adult Arapaima and several juveniles were seen in the pond that was drying out and very muddy. Concerned Fair View residents, who reside within the Iwokrama Reserve on 22, 000 hectares of their titled land, later reported that they had seen not one, but two adults in the pond,” the statement noted.
It was further noted that with the critical dry season currently being experienced in that region due to the El Nino effect, the partners soon realised that if the fish were not moved from the pond, they would perish.
“Consultations were quickly held with relevant partners including North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) community experts, Fisheries Department, EPA and researcher Dr Lesley de Souza to come up with a rescue plan.
“An expert team of local fishermen from Fair View, Kwatamang and Rewa Villages and Iwokrama staffers executed the rescue mission on November 10th. Special protocols were applied to ensure safe transfer to the river.”
The Arapaima is the largest freshwater scaled fish in the world and is legally protected in Guyana. The NRDDB in collaboration Iwokrama and other partners developed an Arapaima Management plan, which is legally recognised by the Government of Guyana. This plan has recently been revised.
