Amazon arapaima fishery pursues international certification
Fishermen in the municipality of Feijó, in the Brazilian Amazon state of Acre, are seeking international certification for the arapaima fish species locally known as the pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a global organization that provides fishery certification and seafood ecolabeling.
This is an unprecedented initiative in Brazil that aims to add value to the product and open up new markets. The accreditation proceedings began in 2014, but the fishing village in Feijó has been involved in the pirarucu management in local ponds since 2008, with support from WWF Brazil. Some 270 families in the local fishing communities put out about 2.5 tons of fish a year.
The staging of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro has stirred up the fishermen's interest in pursuing the certification. According to Antonio Oviedo, fishery specialist at WWF Brazil, there is a whole chain of organizations that want to promote trade of certified products during the Olympics and, similar to what happened in London, the Olympic Committee signed deals to include these products in the athletes' meals in Brazil.
“This has created a drive in the country to obtain these products and begin building consumer awareness. We hope that the certified product can keep establishing relationships with markets that are willing to pay more for that sustainable quality in the future,” said Oviedo.
He said the fishery accreditation may not be complete before the Olympics begin, but the fishery could obtain an MSC report verifying that their product meets the criteria and is approved for marketing.
“Who would have thought that a small town in Acre would ever see Olympic athletes eating their own locally-sourced pirarucu! We're delighted,” said the head of the fishing village of Feijó, Charles Guimarães. They only sell their fish locally, but once they get through with certification, the they want to expand their production scale with an eye to more profitable markets.
Other pirarucu management projects are in place in the municipalities of Manoel Urbano and Tarauacá in Acre, where communities are reviewing their proposed fishery agreement. But the community in Feijó is a step ahead, “because the communities are more organized,” said Pedro Luis Longo, chair of the Acre Environmental Institute (IMAC).
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Amazon arapaima fishery pursues international certification
