“Paco” Fish Farms Advance Aquaculture in the Peruvian Amazon

February 25, 2021

This February saw the installment of a fish farm that will help generate sustainable livelihoods in the Peruvian Amazon and act as an important food source for local people. Located in the small district of Inambari, Madre de Dios near major conservation areas like the extensive National Tambopata Reserve, this initiative contributes to the development of aquaculture activities by offering low-cost fish feed for the different stages of cultivation of the Piaractus brachypomus fish – commonly known as “Paco” -, as well as other omnivorous Amazonian species. Paco are an important food source for local communities as it has a high protein content. The feed has been put through an ‘extrusion’ method, which means that it has gone through a cooking process that uses high temperatures and pressure for a short period of time.

The idea for this initiative began with a local association of aquaculturists (called Asociación de Acuicultores de Primavera Alta y Primavera Baja) when they saw the need to lower the costs of running sustainable fish farms to make them better alternatives to other forms of livelihoods that may destroy the rainforest. Thanks to financing by Amazon Conservation and the Peruvian government’s National Program for Innovation in Fisheries and Agriculture (PNIPA), this association is now able to feed their paco fish farms at a lower cost, also showing their neighboring communities that conservation and sustainable living can be done.

This is one of the many ways our Alliance is promoting sustainable livelihoods and food security for people who call the Amazon home.