An arapaima weighing around 100 kilograms – the species is one of the largest freshwater fish on the planet – was killed this Sunday (23) by a group of people in a luxury condominium in Ananindeua (PA), in the metropolitan region of Belém.
In a video recorded by a resident of the condominium, it is possible to hear the laughter of men who participate in the fishing followed by attacks against the pirarucu, a native species threatened with extinction.
A man says: “Give it to his head to die. Kill that fish in the water.” When the arapaima is removed from the lake, another man with a hoe applies several blows to the animal’s head.
The case took place in the residential Lago Azul, where the governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho (MDB) and his family live. The fish was killed in an area outside the condominium, next to the lake where it was caught.
After the slaughter, the arapaima was taken by the residents. The images sparked outrage among residents and on social media.
The practice of amateur fishing through the “catch and release” system is regulated and supervised by the competent state agency. The case, however, may constitute a crime of mistreatment of animals.
According to the NGO WWF Brasil, the unsustainable exploitation of pirarucu led to the creation of a normative instruction by IBAMA (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) in 2004 that regulates fishing for the species in the Amazon.
The activity was prohibited in some months of the year —in Pará, the restriction is valid from December to May— and minimum sizes were established for capture and commercialization.
Professor of aquaculture at the Federal Institute of Pará, Alex Lobão says that the arapaima — whose adult length can vary from two to three meters, weighing between 100 and 200 kg — is one of the most commercialized species in the Amazon.
“The high market value and ease of capture meant that there was great fishing pressure on this species, and legal instruments are now needed for its control and capture, since predatory fishing of the species can cause a drastic decrease in fish stocks. “, he says.
The administration of the Lago Azul residential project classified the episode as a “Dantesque scene” and said that sport fishing is not regulated in the condominium, although residents can “catch and release” fish on site.
The condominium stated that it had registered a report at a police station in Ananindeua. He also said that all the tenants involved have already been identified and will be penalized with a fine of more than R$ 1,200 reais per resident.
“The administration reiterates that the Dantesque scene cannot be repeated,” he said in a statement.
The Civil Police of Pará did not comment on the case until the conclusion of this report.
.
