Pirarucu must rise to the surface to breathe air at regular intervals. This compulsory behavior makes the fish visible even in muddy water, allowing Amazon communities to develop a distinctive way to count individuals in the wild.
What might seem like a biological curiosity became the foundation of one of the most successful fishing management systems ever created. By observing each rise, people living along the rivers and lakes can gather enough information to guide decisions about fishing and protection.
Breathing becomes a conservation tool
For decades, predatory fishing sharply reduced pirarucu populations in many Amazonian lakes. Because the fish is large, grows relatively slowly and is easy to locate when it surfaces to breathe, it became a preferred target.
In many regions, its presence fell so far that the species’ continued existence in natural environments was threatened. The response came from the river communities themselves, whose deep knowledge of pirarucu behavior helped turn everyday observation into an organized management system.
During specific periods, residents position themselves at strategic points around the lakes and record every time a pirarucu rises to the surface. The method is based on the fish’s breathing and provides an estimate of the number of individuals accurate enough to guide management decisions.
The process matters because it creates a basis for comparing the population and deciding what can be taken from the lake. A behavior that once made the fish easier to catch now supplies information for its protection.
Quotas built by local residents
Using the counts, communities establish fishing quotas that respect the population’s ability to replenish itself. Only part of the fish can be caught, leaving the rest in the lake to continue reproducing.
This control is not imposed from outside. It is built collectively through rules agreed on by the residents themselves and adapted to local conditions. In that way, management addresses both the need to conserve pirarucu and the economic use communities make of the resource.
Community enforcement is another essential part of the system. Managed lakes are protected by the river residents, who monitor fishing activities and prevent illegal practices.
Direct involvement strengthens a sense of belonging and responsibility. Conservation is no longer separate from everyday life. It becomes a shared activity in which the rules depend on the organization of the people who know the territory.
From Mamirauá to dozens of communities
The pirarucu community management model gained strength through experiences that began in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve. Since then, it has spread to dozens of locations in the state of Amazonas.
Today, thousands of families take part in the system, which combines traditional knowledge with adaptive management practices. The experience shows that natural resource management can adjust as environmental conditions and community needs change.
The results are widely recognized as positive. In areas where management has been implemented, pirarucu populations have recovered and the availability of the resource has increased over time.
Community income has also grown. Fish managed sustainably has greater market value and can be sold in an organized way, connecting the recovery of the species directly to the livelihoods of participating families.
This success shows that conservation does not have to be separated from economic use. When it is carefully planned, sustainable use can strengthen protection for the species and make its survival a direct interest of the people who live in the region.
A social model for protecting lakes
Pirarucu is no longer only a resource to be exploited. It becomes a shared heritage whose maintenance matters directly to the communities around the lakes.
The management system also produces important social effects. The organization required to count fish, monitor areas and administer quotas strengthens local ties, encourages cooperation and values traditional knowledge.
Young people and adults take part in counting, monitoring and management activities. This creates a continuous learning network in which accumulated experience remains within the community and is passed between generations.
Researchers have studied the model as an international reference for participatory management of natural resources. According to researchers examining the experience, the combination of science and local knowledge allows constant adjustments and helps the system remain effective as environmental conditions change.
It is a form of social technology built through practice. The approach adapts to its setting and evolves over time while retaining direct observation of pirarucu behavior and the participation of local residents.
Beyond the recovery of pirarucu, managed lakes tend to show an overall improvement in environmental quality. Protection from predatory fishing benefits other species and contributes to the balance of aquatic ecosystems.
The positive impact therefore extends beyond a single resource and reaches the area’s entire biodiversity. Protection for pirarucu also helps preserve the environment on which other animals and the communities themselves depend.
When vulnerability becomes knowledge
Pirarucu once symbolized the vulnerability caused by excessive exploitation. Today, it represents a story of recovery built collectively. Its breathing brings it to the surface, but that same characteristic has become a tool for management and conservation.
Watching a pirarucu emerge to breathe reveals more than a biological behavior. In that rise is the foundation of a system that brings together knowledge, organization and respect for nature’s limits.
Perhaps the model’s greatest legacy is its demonstration that effective solutions can come from the careful attention of people who live in the forest and deeply understand its rhythms. In Amazonian lakes, counting breaths became a way to protect a species and strengthen community life.
Smart counting: river residents count pirarucu by watching the fish rise to breathe. The method guides fishing quotas and ensures the sustainability of the resource.
Learn more: giant pirarucu and Amazonian rivers reveal the extreme adaptation of a fish that breathes air to survive.
Reporting: Anne Silva / Amazonia Mag
Editor, English Edition — Amazonia Mag
Anne Silva is the editor of Amazonia Mag, the English-language edition of Revista Amazônia. She curates, translates and adapts the outlet's science and environment coverage for an international audience, reporting on Amazon wildlife, flora, rivers, climate and research. Every story she edits is grounded in peer-reviewed studies, official data and on-the-ground reporting from the Revista Amazônia newsroom in Belém, Pará, Brazil. More by Anne Silva →