( Due to the extended drought the river has dropped significantly exposing sandbanks and rocks )
country ’ s prime environmental stewards . One of the fast growing Eco tourism attractions in Guyana is its relatively nascent Sport fishing
enterprise . The sport fishing is predominantly catch and release and attracts anglers from all around the globe who pay a premium to come to Guyana in search of the Giant Arapaima .
To catch an Arapaima is an angler ’ s dream . From the search , to the hook to the fight and then the release , fishermen far and wide revere this river monster as a crown jewel within the sport . These fish can be found predominantly in ponds within the rainforest . They are known to travel back and forth from river to pond during the wet season when water levels are high . This is predominantly due to their spawning patterns so they spend significant time living in ponds off the Essequibo River .
Due to the aforementioned droughts , water levels in both the ponds and river have dropped tremendously thus hampering the mobility of the Arapaimas and leaving them indefinitely stranded , exposed and vulnerable to predators within the shallow ponds . In many instances they have become easy prey for Jaguars . These feline predators haul the 300 lbs + giant fish on to land and make an easy meal of them . Other times the water levels are so low that the Arapaima ’ s backs become scorched by the sun and they are rendered incapacitated pending an untimely demise .
This situation is a major source of concern for the people of Apoteri Village , an Indigenous community situated on the junction of the Rupununi and Essequibo Rivers , who rely
( Walking past the remnants of forest fires caused by the drought )
heavily on their catch and release sportfishing business to carry a significant part of their economy . The sport fishing industry enables tour guides , cooks , labourers and boat captains to be employed within the tourism market as they are all key players in a successful fishing trip .
As part of a local filmmaking company , Reel Guyana , my sister Victoria and I have travelled hours from the urban capital to document this burning ( pun intended ) issue in the amazon affecting the community ’ s livelihood . Upon arrival we are introduced to a team who make up the majority of the village ’ s fishermen . Among them are a few high schoolers who are tourism stakeholders in training being groomed to carry the industry well into the future .
We meet one of the leaders of the group , Kenny Thomas , a humble and soft spoken man whose gentle nature makes us feel welcome . Kenny informed that the village is taking on the responsibility of maintaining their arapaima populations during this climate crisis . Waiting on the rains to fall and
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