I’m dr. Sam Hogan a conservation
biologist I’m here Raziel to find and
study the world’s largest freshwater
fish in the world’s largest river the
Amazon first the monstrous arapaima or
parakou it tops the chart of Amazon mega
fish at 15 feet and 440 pounds it’s one
of the largest predators in the Amazon
River only humans are a significant
threat just twenty years ago it was one
of the most commercially popular fish in
South America sometimes called the Cod
of the Amazon
but a taste for this giant goes back to
the 1800s when both colonizing
Portuguese and Amazon natives dried
insulted strips of pure aku but a fewer
of them make it to maturity the species
could take a nosedive fast
I’m concerned that humans may be eating
too many of these Titans before they
have a chance to reproduce but the
Amazon is a big place where do I start
you need to add spare fishermen expert
so you don’t by myself you think that
thing is possible impossible
with
professional angler Scott Swanson has
been fishing these waters for over 20
years I’m told he’s the best if anyone
can help me catch bureau crew in the
wild he can Scott goes after the Giants
on a catch-and-release basis so he
doesn’t diminish their numbers he says
the best place for us to look is in the
canals and the goons around the island
to find the first species of mega fish
on my list the best technique is
listening these giants make a
distinctive swishing sound in the water
when they come up for air
[Music]
sure enough there seemed to be pure aku
in this Lagoon oh you can see him back
there you see his head come up
there’s one we know they’re here now we
have to catch them we cast the bait
right under the pier ah coos noses yeah
take that suddenly you hook a big one
it’s just one out of the water it is a
purity but how big is it
start first fish to the trip I’m going
to try to attach the script right to his
lower lip and now we need to get the
hook out yeah you cut you measurements
are the best way of estimating a fish’s
age its age determines whether or not
it’s old enough to spawn 5454 my own
fifty but that probably makes this one
less than five years old
pavement measurements also determine
whether fish is legal and illegal pura
kun is anything under 50 mom this one is
just over 450 and still not fully mature
if it lives to a ripe old age
it’ll probably spawn hundreds of
thousands of eggs and give this species
a fighting chance at survival we’re
nice-looking fish
[Music]
very much my buddy it’s great
biologist I’m here Raziel to find and
study the world’s largest freshwater
fish in the world’s largest river the
Amazon first the monstrous arapaima or
parakou it tops the chart of Amazon mega
fish at 15 feet and 440 pounds it’s one
of the largest predators in the Amazon
River only humans are a significant
threat just twenty years ago it was one
of the most commercially popular fish in
South America sometimes called the Cod
of the Amazon
but a taste for this giant goes back to
the 1800s when both colonizing
Portuguese and Amazon natives dried
insulted strips of pure aku but a fewer
of them make it to maturity the species
could take a nosedive fast
I’m concerned that humans may be eating
too many of these Titans before they
have a chance to reproduce but the
Amazon is a big place where do I start
you need to add spare fishermen expert
so you don’t by myself you think that
thing is possible impossible
with
professional angler Scott Swanson has
been fishing these waters for over 20
years I’m told he’s the best if anyone
can help me catch bureau crew in the
wild he can Scott goes after the Giants
on a catch-and-release basis so he
doesn’t diminish their numbers he says
the best place for us to look is in the
canals and the goons around the island
to find the first species of mega fish
on my list the best technique is
listening these giants make a
distinctive swishing sound in the water
when they come up for air
[Music]
sure enough there seemed to be pure aku
in this Lagoon oh you can see him back
there you see his head come up
there’s one we know they’re here now we
have to catch them we cast the bait
right under the pier ah coos noses yeah
take that suddenly you hook a big one
it’s just one out of the water it is a
purity but how big is it
start first fish to the trip I’m going
to try to attach the script right to his
lower lip and now we need to get the
hook out yeah you cut you measurements
are the best way of estimating a fish’s
age its age determines whether or not
it’s old enough to spawn 5454 my own
fifty but that probably makes this one
less than five years old
pavement measurements also determine
whether fish is legal and illegal pura
kun is anything under 50 mom this one is
just over 450 and still not fully mature
if it lives to a ripe old age
it’ll probably spawn hundreds of
thousands of eggs and give this species
a fighting chance at survival we’re
nice-looking fish
[Music]
very much my buddy it’s great
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