Fishers—not scientists—can assess arapaima populations
Castello, L. 2004. A method to count pirarucu Arapaima gigas: fishers, assessment, and management. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 24:379-389.
Size-selectivity of fishing, not density-compensation, explains body growth rates of arapaima
Arantes, C.C et al. 2010. Density compensation, growth, and reproduction of Arapaima in floodplains of the Amazon. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 19:455-465.
Sustainable harvest rates: 25% or less of adult arapaima
Castello, L. et al. 2011. Modeling population dynamics and conservation of arapaima in the Amazon. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 21:623-640
Five of the nine most exploited species in the Amazon are overexploited
Castello, L. et al. 2011. Resource sustainability in small-scale fisheries in the Lower Amazon. Fisheries Research 110:35-365.
Biological mercury declining in Eastern Arctic while increasing in Western Arctic
Castello, L. et al. 2014. Low and declining mercury in Arctic Russian Rivers. Environmental Science & Technology 48, 747−752
Integrating fishers’ knowledge in management promotes sustainability
Castello, L. et al. 2009. Lessons from integrating fishers of arapaima in small-scale fisheries management at the Mamirauá Reserve, Amazon. Environmental Management 43:197-209.
Study shows dependence of floodplain fishes on complex habitat structure
Castello, L. 2008. Lateral migration of Arapaima gigas in floodplains of the Amazon. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 17:38-46.
Video: Arapaima Management on the Lower Amazon
Dr. Leandro Castello discusses the rules of sustainable management of Arapaima in this 15-minute video.
- Fish must be larger than 1.5 meters
- No fishing during the reproductive cycle
- Establish a counting system to monitor the population, then establish a catch share