Sale of managed pirarucu and tambaqui generates income of R$409 thousand to fishermen in the Amazon

FAS

In total, 35.73 tons of fish were sold, 23.7 tons of pirarucu and 12.03 tons of tambaqui

Manaus (AM) – Managers of the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS), located in the municipality of Fonte Boa, in the interior of Amazonas, had revenues of R$409,177.44 from the sale of pirarucu and tambaqui at fairs supported by the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS) in 2023. In total, 35.73 tons of fish were sold, 23.7 tons of pirarucu and 12.03 tons of tambaqui, directly benefiting 178 fish managers.

The Pirarucu and Tambaqui Fairs took place throughout the year at the FAS headquarters, in Manaus. Around 2,600 people attended the events, where they purchased quality fish from sustainable sources, which contributes to keeping the forest standing.

For the manager of the FAS Prosperity in the Forest Program and organizer of the fairs, Edvaldo Corrêa, the year was one of overcoming challenges, as extreme drought, a result of climate change, made it difficult for managers to access the lakes to carry out fishing, as well as transporting the fish to Manaus.

“Our assessment is positive, despite the difficulties we faced this year with the severe drought. The fair is very important for managers, as it is a way of having direct resources. FAS opens this space, publicizes it and gives opportunities to handlers to sell their product and explain to customers what sustainable management is. Customer reception is very good,”

says Edvaldo.

One of the benefited handlers is Gilvan de Souza Ferreira, resident of the Mapurilândia community, in RDS Mamirauá. He reports that, since FAS began operating in the Médio and Alto Solimões region, communities have gained more autonomy over the products they sell, especially fish.

“Before FAS arrived, we delivered our product to middlemen and we didn’t see each person’s share, what arrived [lucro] it was very little. When FAS came and we said it would be interesting to take our fish to Manaus, it helped to expand many things. Today we have direct access to the end consumer, it is very pleasurable, as we are showing our product, saying where we came from. This has generated a source of income ten times greater than if we delivered this fish to the middleman”,

reports Gilvan.

If before, with the role of the middleman, it took fishermen four to six months to see a financial return, at fairs supported by FAS they have guaranteed income already at the events, says Gilvan.

“The fairs have made us feel fulfilled. Before, the effort we made was very great, but the income was very little. Today we try a little harder because we have to take the product to the end consumer, but we know that our profit is greater for each family. All the fairs we hold within FAS have been a success and we have managed to sell all of our production. This way, we can have a better and fairer life for our community”,

concludes the handler.

The Pirarucu and Tambaqui Fairs are promoted by the Association of Residents and Users of RDS Mamirauá Antônio Martins (Amurman), with support from FAS, which is responsible for infrastructure, transport, logistics and publicity. The sale of pirarucu and managed tambaqui also has support from the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), the State Secretariat for the Environment of Amazonas (Sema) and the State Secretariat for Rural Production (Sepror).

About FAS

The Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS) is a non-profit civil society organization that works for the sustainable development of the Amazon. Its mission is to contribute to the conservation of the biome, to improve the quality of life of the populations of the Amazon and to enhance the standing forest and its biodiversity.

In 2023, the institution completes 15 years of operation with outstanding numbers, such as the 202% increase in the average income of thousands of benefited families and the 40% drop in deforestation in areas served between 2008 and 2021.

*With information from consultancy

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