January 4, 2006

 

Peruvian coca farmers to farm endangered fish

 

 

Overfishing of paiches in Peru, one of the largest freshwater fishes in Peru,  is leading to efforts to farm the fish to save it.

 

The fish, known for its delicious, flaky and boneless meat, is endangered in Peru's Amazon jungles.

 

The rescue efforts include a fish-farm venture that aims to provide local coca leaf growers with an alternative livelihood.

 

The state of Ucayali, where most fishing currently takes place, is part of a jungle belt where coca, from which cocaine is processed, is grown. Peru is the world's second-largest coca-growing country after Colombia.

 

The US Agency for International Development (USAID), through one of its partner organisations, has contributed one-fifth of the US$250,000 cost of the fish farm programme as part of its anti-drug work in Peru. The measure is part of a multi-pronged strategy which includes providing alternative crops, building infrastructure, and helping growers produce products.

 

Without the fish farming plan, the fish would have become extinct in 10 or 15 years, said Fausto Hinostroza, who runs the Research Institute of the Peruvian Amazon. The centre is partnering with a state government to work on a fish-farming plan that would repopulate lakes with paiches.

 

Floating cages have been set up to house baby paiches, with a few thousand fish in each cage. The goal is to reach a constant population of 8,000 paiches per cage. Each fish is likely to reach up to 25 pounds in a year, enough to satisfy local demand and provide for exports.

 

Edwin Vasquez, former governor of the state of Ucayali said paiche steaks can sell for around US$20 a pound in European and US gourmet markets, an economic opportunity not to be missed.

 

Vasquez believes that if the Imiria project is successful, similar efforts would follow.

 

Ruth Ruiz, the assistant economic manager for Ucalyali's state government, said fish farming is a perfect alternative to growing coca because of its high price, which is currently double that of coca leaves pound for pound.

 

Researchers are working on better ways of breeding the fish as its reproduction is sporadic.

 

They are also working on finding the right formula for fish meal to feed the paiches. A specially hand-made corn-based feed seems to be working now, but authorities are searching for was ways of mass-production. 

 

One problem is that the fish has to be transported many miles out of the jungle to ports or market. Another option offered is to freeze the fishes immediately after capture and then ship it to Europe and the US.

 

Another problem is that environmental groups may be aghast that an endangered fish is being served in restaurants in the US and EU. This problem would be offset by the paiche fish-farming brand. According to the BioTrade Facilitation Programme, farmed paiche may be acceptable as US and European customers have an increasingly higher demand for ecofriendly products.

 

Hinostroza said the plan would not only repopulate paiche in Peru, but the company might even send fingerlings across to Brazil to help boost the population there.