Rare good news from the Amazon: Gigantic fish are thriving again.
MAMIRAUÁ RESERVE, Brazil — On this stretch of the Amazon River, you don't need a fish finder to locate the pirarucu, one of the world's largest freshwater fish.
Like the saltwater tarpon, the pirarucu is an air-breathing fish that must rise to the surface every 15 minutes or so to gulp oxygen.
But thanks to sustainable fishing programs that combine education with strict rules and quotas, it's now making a comeback.
Then, they slowly pulled the nets into an ever-tighter circle until the fish became entangled and trapped.
Even then, the battle was not over as the powerful fish violently thrashed its huge body back and forth.
We've already caught eight fish," says Ailton Bruno, a 22-year-old fisherman who keeps tabs on the number of fish taken each day. »