In the Amazon a Giant Fish Helps Save the Rainforest

Subject :Environment

Context-

Along the Jurua River, a tributary of the Amazon, riverine settlers and Indigenous villages are working together to promote the sustainable fishing of near magic fish called pirarucu.

About the pirarucu fish-

The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is any large species of bonytongue in the genus Arapaima native to the Amazon and Essequibo basins of South America.
Its Portuguese name, pirarucu, derives from the Tupi language words pira and urucum, meaning “red fish”.
It is found primarily in floodplain lakes across the Amazon basin, including the region of Medio Jurua.
They are among the world’s largest freshwater fish, reaching as much as 3 m (9.8 ft) in length and 200 kilos (440 pounds) in weight.
Another remarkable characteristic of the pirarucu is that It is one of the few fish species in the world that surfaces to breathe.
They are an important food fish.

Overexploitation of pirarucus-

They have declined in the native range due to overfishing and habitat loss.
And it left pirarucu designated as threatened with extinction unless trade in the fish is closely controlled by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
In contrast, arapaima has been introduced to several tropical regions outside the native range (within South America and elsewhere), where they are sometimes considered invasive species.
In Kerala, India, Arapaima escaped from aquaculture ponds after floods in 2018.

Recovery of the population of the pirarucu-

The fish has come back to the lakes of Medio Jurua.
The change began in the late 1990s. With the assistance of a Dutch Catholic priest, rubber tappers organized and led a campaign to persuade the federal government to create the Medio Jurua Extractive Reserve.
This controlled fishing has led to a surge in its population in regions where it’s employed.
In the Sao Raimundo region, there were 1,335 pirarucus in the nearby lakes in 2011, when the managed fishing began. Last year, there were 4,092 specimens, according to their records.
In the Carauari region, the number of pirarucus spiked from 4,916, in 2011, to 46,839, ten years later.

Menace of illegal fishing in Brazil-

Illegal fishing is rampant in Brazil. It’s the second most frequent environmental crime on protected land, after logging, according to an academic study based on official data.
Pirarucu fishing is done once a year, around September, the period of the lowest water.
By law, only 30% of the pirarucu in a certain area can be fished the following year.

Current status of Indian fisheries-

Fisheries are the primary source of livelihood for several communities.
India is the world’s second-largest fish producer with exports worth more than Rs 47,000 crore.
Fisheries are the country’s single-largest agriculture export, with a growth rate of 6 to 10 per cent in the past five years.
Its significance is underscored by the fact that the growth rate of the farm sector in the same period is around 2.5 per cent.
It has a marine fisher population of 3.5 million; 10.5 million people are engaged in inland fishery and fish farming.

IUU Fishing as a National Security Threat-

In India, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing typically has been viewed as a non-traditional security concern that includes food and economic security, as well as broader societal and political issues.
- The threat posed by foreign fishing vessels near Indian waters.
- Such distant water fishing vessels have been found fishing illegally around the world.
- On several occasions, these vessels are present near the exclusive economic zone of other states, raising serious legal and operational questions.
- Coastal States have shown varied responses to these vessels ranging from strengthening their maritime security framework to using force and taking military action against these vessels.

Domestic laws against IUU fishing-

Two domestic legislative acts drive the government’s response to IUU fishing.
The first, the Territorial Waters, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic
Zone and other Maritime Zones Act, 1976, defines India’s maritime zones,
which comply with the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which India is a party.
- Thus, India enjoys its sovereign rights, including fishing rights, in the delimited waters under both domestic and international maritime laws.
The second, the Maritime Zones of India (Regulation of Foreign Vessels) Act, 1981, provides for the regulation of foreign fishing vessels in India’s maritime zones and related matters.
- It authorizes the Indian Coast Guard, when appropriate, to stop and board a fishing vessel, seize and detain the vessel, including any fishing gear, fishing equipment, stores, or cargo found onboard the vessel or belonging to the vessel, and to seize any fishing gear abandoned by the vessel.
These laws provide the domestic legislation governing India’s maritime zones and the national maritime security framework for addressing IUU fishing by foreign vessels.