( The Giant Arapaima , the largest freshwater fish and an angler ’ s dream catch )
the water to rise risks losing too many fish and will cause a weighty blow to their industry . He informs us that there have been ongoing efforts by their team who travel for days along the river in search of Arapaima ponds so that they can execute rescue missions . However , the lack of resources has limited their capacity to clear vulnerable ponds efficiently , as fuel is not cheap nor easy to obtain from the rural village .
Given our impromptu visit it was only fair that we brought along a 45 gallon drum of fuel to aid in the rescue efforts . This will allow the team , inclusive of five boats and engines , to spend the next 4-5 days moving up the river in search of at-risk ponds that can be acted upon .
The excitement starts to grow . Despite having been fishing many times we have never seen an arapaima in the wild much less been able to film one . But the eagerness will have to wait one more day as Apoteri Village is just a muster point before we begin our mission the next day .
Early the next morning half the team assembles at the landing . The leader of this operation , a local veteran Arapaima conservationist , Campbell James who is a vital part of the mission is nowhere to be found . Despite committing to a 6am sharp departure , it is now 7am so we send out a mini search party . I have to remind myself that I am a guest here so my stickler attitude for being on time may need to take a backseat to keeping a positive working environment .
Soon after Campbell arrives . Campbell is a funny , fast talking old head who has had more experience in the field than the average person can fathom . Many of his stories seem too crazy to be true . As we begin our journey to the first Arapaima pond two hours up the river , we see a massive black caiman rearing its head out of the water as our boat passes .
“ That has to be about nine feet .” Campbell says . “ I wrestled one of those before and won . Had to show him
( A quickly drying pond holding many Giant Arapaima in the middle of the forest )
who is boss .”
Usually I let these outrageous claims go , but I felt I had to challenge Campbell for his tardiness this morning so I told him that I don ’ t believe him . No one can wrestle a nine foot caiman and talk so casually about it .
He goes silent for a minute and I smile and continue looking out on the river trying to spot more wildlife . Suddenly he taps me on my shoulder and shows me his phone . Lo and behold it is a video of him in the water wrestling a nine foot caiman . I am in total disbelief and actually feel embarrassed for challenging him so arrogantly . That being said , it is extremely reassuring knowing that we are under the leadership of someone who knows exactly what they are doing out here .
We finally arrived at the first pond . Half the team is sent away to look for a suitable campsite to build before we begin the rescue while the other half stays behind to assess the pond and make sure there are in fact Arapaima still present as this pond has not been checked since the drought period began . We stay back with the assessment team to document the process .
Unlike most fish , the Arapaima uses a modified swim bladder that opens up into the fish ’ s mouth and acts as a lung making it a surface breather . They come up to the surface for air every 10-20 minutes so to find out how many are in one particular pond takes only about half an hour of observation . This pond seems to have many surviving fish despite the very low water level . Within the first few minutes we notice many fish . They roll along the surface of the water after taking a big gulp of oxygen . It is going to be a successful day !
About an hour passes and the rest of the team returns after setting up camp just up river . One of the other leaders of the team , Nigel John , takes a minute to give us a brief rundown of what is about to happen . Nigel is a well spoken and very intelligent man who has a clear passion for the conservation of the Arapaima species . He
28 | TOURISM GUYANA 2024