Ucayali: Fishers from the Imiría Regional Conservation Area (ACR) committed to sustainable fishing

Posted on 10 July 2024

Results of evaluations carried out by three Artisanal Fishing Organizations (OSPAs) on the interaction with river dolphins showed that almost 68% of fishers have experienced some case of bycatch in the last 5 years.A study of artisanal fishing by DIREPRO-U 2006-2023, evidences a decrease in fish abundance throughout the Ucayali basin.

Four hours from the city of Pucallpa, sailing through the Ucayali and Tamaya rivers, you arrive at the Imiría Regional Conservation Area (ACR Imiría), whose name comes from a plant with a yellow flower that, when the waters rise, covers large areas from the shores. There, the Imiría lagoon is considered one of the main fishing areas in the region.

In Imiría there are various native communities such as Junín Pablo, Nuevo Loreto, Buenos Aires, Nueva Yarina and Caimito, and hamlets such as Unión Vecinal and Bella Flor, which are dedicated to artisanal fishing as a source of subsistence or barter, that is, the fish Captured are consumed directly by their families or are exchanged with their neighbors in exchange for other products.

Samuel Cauper, head of ACR Imiría, during the opening of the 'Workshop on Good Fishing Practices in the Peruvian Amazon' organized by the Ucayali Regional Environmental Authority (ARAU) and with the support of WWF Peru, commented that the ACR is historically recognized for its great biodiversity. “There are three potentialities: the fishing resource, the timber resource and crafts, in addition to other resources considered non-timber. The economic power of the Amazon is based on these pillars,” he highlighted.

The fishing communities of Imiría have a lot of willingness and potential to grow and develop their activity in a sustainable way, but they require the necessary tools and knowledge to achieve it. In this way, ensure the sustainable use of freshwater ecosystems and, in turn, reduce conflict with aquatic mammals.

WWF Peru, in collaboration with the Ucayali Regional Environmental Authority (ARAU), the Ucayali Regional Production Directorate (DIREPRO) and the Border Federation of Native Communities of the Imiría and Chauya Lagoon, Masisea (FECONALICM), enabled a space for exchange and promotion of good fishing practices, aimed at the Associations of Fishermen and Artisanal Producers of the Native Communities adjacent to the Imiría Lagoon.

As a preamble to the workshop, Daniel Velarde, Director of Fisheries at DIREPRO-U, explained that the Imiría is of great economic importance because, as a fishing area, it supplies the Pucallpa market. Constituting itself as a good business opportunity for people who are dedicated to the fishing activity. “For us, the most important thing is that the activity is sustainable from an environmental and socioeconomic point of view and that it brings food security and economic sustenance for you,” he said, referring to commercialization opportunities.

Daniel Chamochumbi, Oscar Quispe, Winnie Romero and Aldair Sotelo, as representatives of WWF Peru, presented the results of the surveys carried out with fishers from the OSPAs: APARU, AMPYC and APPA Tsonkiro, on the interaction of fishing activity with river dolphins; an exhibition on the importance of rivers and lagoons for fishing, highlighting the importance of aquatic mammals for these ecosystems; and, group dynamics to classify fishing and fishing gear, and minimum sizes and closed seasons. For his part, Daniel Velarde from DIREPRO-U, was in charge of training artisanal fishermen on the current fishing regulatory framework.

“A good practice is a behavior or habit that leads to good use of the resource,” commented Velarde during his presentation, providing in turn examples of practices that should be avoided because they threaten the health of the rivers and their food security. Likewise, through a statistical study based on the last 17 years, a decrease in the abundance of fish in the region was evidenced, which reaffirms the importance of working towards sustainable fishing.

“The resources of the Imiría are running out, like the paiche (pirarucu or arapaima) and other fish. As a community member, I have been able to observe that, for years, [some fishers] use the gillnet with a mesh opening of 2 or 2.5 inches, when we should use at least 3.5 or 4 inches. Some fishers are scattered around different places catching small fish and they are not allowed to reproduce. We need more supervision,” said Policarpio Sinarahua, head of the native community of Buenos Aires, expressing his concern.

The more than 30 artisanal fishers in attendance were able to satisfactorily identify, through participatory mapping, the areas of fishing importance within the Imiría ACR, the areas with the greatest sightings of aquatic mammals and where there is the most interaction with river dolphins. The information provided from local knowledge by fishers will be useful to authorities in making decisions for the conservation of the ACR and the adequate management of hydrobiological resources.

The purpose of having this informative and training space for the different OSPAs of Imiría, in management with ARAU and DIREPRO-U, is to promote appropriate fishing practices with a view to the development of resilient and sustainable Amazonian fisheries towards the conservation of aquatic ecosystems and coexistence with the species that inhabit them, ensuring the minimization of conflicts between local actors.

The Imiría ACR has one of the main, most productive Amazonian wetland ecosystems in Peru and a refuge for important ichthyological biodiversity, which provides benefits to local populations through fishing. Sustainable practices not only preserve the ecological balance of the wetland, but also ensure that future generations can continue to benefit from these valuable resources.