(ANSA) – MANAUS, SEPTEMBER 30 – There is a real boom in illegal fishing of Amazonian species at risk of extinction due to the drought that has been affecting the region for months, reducing the rivers that cross the green lung of the world.
The complaint comes from Johnatan Santos, the director of field inspections of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama).
“Due to the low water levels, it is easier for criminals to capture the animals quickly,” he said in an interview with Brazilian state television TV Brasil. The statement came after an Ibama-led operation that led to the seizure of an Amazonian bullfish (Trichechus inunguis the scientific name) massacred on the banks of the Amazon River, near Tefé, and of almost half a ton kg of unauthorized meat of pirarucu, another giant fish (scientific name Arapaima gigas) which was in sale at the market in this town in the state of Amazonas.
“If the oxfish became extinct, it would cause a huge imbalance in the aquatic ecosystem because it plays a vital role in the food chain,” Santos said.
According to the chief inspector of Ibama, given the extension of the Amazon basin, it is necessary for rain to return throughout the region, so that the rivers recover their volume of water and exceed the historic minimum observed in the Amazon. “We hope that rain will arrive from the end of October and that the rivers will return to their normal levels,” concluded Santos. (HANDLE).
2024-10-01 00:34:43