Current Event 4 1.23.12
Current Event: The Arapaima
The Arapaima is a large fish that lives in the Amazon River. It is actually the largest scaled freshwater fish in the entire world. The fish has lots of meat, so it is a popular fish among the nearby tribes. However, the Arapaima may be subject to overfishing, and is now endangered. “Studies reveal that errors in the classification of the species could mean that it is being pushed closer to the edge of extinction than thought.” Although it has now been proven, there may actually have been four species of Arapaima, and not just one. On the other hand, there isn’t enough research to prove that theory, as some species may have been fished to extinction. “Previously, it was thought there was one species of arapaima (Arapaima gigas), which also goes by the common names pirarucu or paiche.” However, this viewpoint had been based on a study counting the Arapaima, over 160 years ago. Dr. Leandro Castello of the Woods Hole Research Center in Falmouth, Massachusetts, US, and Professor Donald Stewart of the State University of New York in Syracuse, US helped to reveal how the numbers of the Arapaima has dwindled in the past years. Professor Stewart has only found one species of the Arapaima gigas. “The others are suspected to be closely related species, including some as yet unreported.” That means that the fish thought to be a species of Arapaima could just be close relatives. Adult Arapaima can weigh up to 200 kilograms, and grow in length up to 3 meters. These huge fish breathe air, and they have to come to the surface every five to fifteen minutes to breathe. This behavior “allows them to colonise muddy oxygen-poor rivers and lakes within the Amazonian basin and prey on other fish that find it difficult to move in such conditions.” Fishermen have been overfishing the Arapaima since the 1800’s. Right now, few populations of Arapaima are growing in number, while the others are decreasing.
I had watched a show on television, and the man went deep into the Amazon to find the Arapaima. He mentioned that in certain areas, you can't fish for the Arapaima because it was endangered. That's why he went deeper in the Amazon River to catch that Arapaima. However, it was so strong, that it swam out of his arms. The show gave me a pretty good idea of what the Arapaima was, so I picked this for my current event. But from the show, I could see how muscular the fish was, and I thought that it was really cool. Of course, I wouldn't want to meet it in person, like the guy in the show. Even though it may be a really cool and pretty fish, it had deadly potential. If it hits a person head on, the person could get knocked out and drown in the Amazon River. Still, behind a thick glass tank, I can really see what a beautiful beast the Arapaima is. On the show, it mentioned that there is a limited amount of Arapaima left in the world. They have been over-fished, and now the results are showing. I personally like the Arapaima, and I don’t want them to go extinct. They are a beautiful fish, and many villages around the Amazon River depend on the Arapaima. “Because of the fish's huge size and habit of coming to the surface, it has long been a favored fish to catch, with fisherman using harpoons and gill nets to land their prey.” I hope that they put a fishing law on the Arapaima, so as to get the numbers back up. Because I don’t want another species of animal on this world to die out.
Walker, Matt. "The giant Amazon arapaima fish is 'under threat'." 2011. February 21, 2012 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8428000/8428949.stm>.
The Arapaima is a large fish that lives in the Amazon River. It is actually the largest scaled freshwater fish in the entire world. The fish has lots of meat, so it is a popular fish among the nearby tribes. However, the Arapaima may be subject to overfishing, and is now endangered. “Studies reveal that errors in the classification of the species could mean that it is being pushed closer to the edge of extinction than thought.” Although it has now been proven, there may actually have been four species of Arapaima, and not just one. On the other hand, there isn’t enough research to prove that theory, as some species may have been fished to extinction. “Previously, it was thought there was one species of arapaima (Arapaima gigas), which also goes by the common names pirarucu or paiche.” However, this viewpoint had been based on a study counting the Arapaima, over 160 years ago. Dr. Leandro Castello of the Woods Hole Research Center in Falmouth, Massachusetts, US, and Professor Donald Stewart of the State University of New York in Syracuse, US helped to reveal how the numbers of the Arapaima has dwindled in the past years. Professor Stewart has only found one species of the Arapaima gigas. “The others are suspected to be closely related species, including some as yet unreported.” That means that the fish thought to be a species of Arapaima could just be close relatives. Adult Arapaima can weigh up to 200 kilograms, and grow in length up to 3 meters. These huge fish breathe air, and they have to come to the surface every five to fifteen minutes to breathe. This behavior “allows them to colonise muddy oxygen-poor rivers and lakes within the Amazonian basin and prey on other fish that find it difficult to move in such conditions.” Fishermen have been overfishing the Arapaima since the 1800’s. Right now, few populations of Arapaima are growing in number, while the others are decreasing.
I had watched a show on television, and the man went deep into the Amazon to find the Arapaima. He mentioned that in certain areas, you can't fish for the Arapaima because it was endangered. That's why he went deeper in the Amazon River to catch that Arapaima. However, it was so strong, that it swam out of his arms. The show gave me a pretty good idea of what the Arapaima was, so I picked this for my current event. But from the show, I could see how muscular the fish was, and I thought that it was really cool. Of course, I wouldn't want to meet it in person, like the guy in the show. Even though it may be a really cool and pretty fish, it had deadly potential. If it hits a person head on, the person could get knocked out and drown in the Amazon River. Still, behind a thick glass tank, I can really see what a beautiful beast the Arapaima is. On the show, it mentioned that there is a limited amount of Arapaima left in the world. They have been over-fished, and now the results are showing. I personally like the Arapaima, and I don’t want them to go extinct. They are a beautiful fish, and many villages around the Amazon River depend on the Arapaima. “Because of the fish's huge size and habit of coming to the surface, it has long been a favored fish to catch, with fisherman using harpoons and gill nets to land their prey.” I hope that they put a fishing law on the Arapaima, so as to get the numbers back up. Because I don’t want another species of animal on this world to die out.
Walker, Matt. "The giant Amazon arapaima fish is 'under threat'." 2011. February 21, 2012 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8428000/8428949.stm>.