As the cherished rainforest in South America’s Amazon River region continues to shrink, the river itself now presents evidence of other dangers: the overexploitation of freshwater fish.
As the cherished rainforest in South America’s Amazon River region continues to shrink, the river itself now presents evidence of other dangers: the overexploitation of freshwater fish.
The biodiversity of the Amazon’s freshwater species is under strong fishing pressure, according to the first large-scale, pan-Amazonian examination, conducted by a group of international scientists and led by Cornell researchers. Their findings – based on examining decades of fishery landings (the places such as ports where fishers leave their catch) records from Brazil and Peru – indicate a stress that menaces the region’s ability to provide protein and other essential nutrients.
The new research was published June 8 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
“We are seeing a decline in large-bodied species,” said lead author Sebastian Heilpern, a Cornell Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow, who works with Peter McIntyre, associate professor, and Alex Flecker, professor, both in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
“Large-body species are more vulnerable as they are slower to develop. As they decline, we see they are also being replaced by smaller species,” Heilpern said. “This pattern is consistent with overexploitation.”
Read more at: Cornell University
At an Amazon River port in Iquitos, Peru, a man carries a large, freshwater Arapaima fish away from the landing. (Photo Credit: Sebastian Heilpern)
