Brasília - The pirarucu, a native fish of the Amazon, will now be spawned in the Northeast. To do this, the Presidency of the Republic's Special Secretariat of Aquiculture and Fishing (Seap) spend US$ 417 thousand (R$ 1.25 million) on the National Department of Anti-Drought Works' (Dnocs) fish-breeding station in Pentecostes, in the state of Ceará.

The transfer of funds was officially ratified by the Minister of the Seap, José Fritsch, at the opening of the 13th Brazilian Aquiculture Symposium, last week in the city of Fortaleza. A partnership with the Dnocs was also signed for the demarcation of fish farms in reservoirs under Dnocs supervision. The investment will permit an annual production of 30 million pirarucu fry - most of them destined to populate federal reservoirs.

The pirarucu, also known as the "Brazilian cod," has great commercial value. "With this, we shall create jobs for people who live near dams, as well as around reservoirs that belong to Brazilian farmers," the Minister said.

Although it is a resistant species, the pirarucu is quite vulnerable to the activities of fishermen. With the intensification of commercial fishing in the Lower and Middle Amazon over the past three decades, stocks have been undergoing an increasingly powerful impact. Controlling the fish's lineage is intended to prevent extinction.

The Pentecostes fish-breeding station is a pioneer in the production of tilapia fry and is the most modern national breeding center for this species. The station already has the technology for pirarucu reproduction and should now commence large-scale breeding of this fish.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Suzana Leite
Translator: David Silberstein
08/17/2004