Farewell Brazil… for now

After six weeks living in Brazil (at the end of last year), I was glad to be home with family and friends in New York for the holidays.  It was also nice to sleep in a bed again after spending most nights in Brazil in a hammock (although my side was a little sore after my first night back).

Our home for more than two weeks

During my last weeks in Brazil, I accompanied Fabio and his team of fishermen on an expedition to survey arapaima populations across the region.  For more than two weeks, we lived on a boat and visited more than 50 lakes.  At each lake the fishermen counted the number of arapaima that surfaced to breathe in 20 minutes.  Since arapaima need to breathe about every 20 minutes, they could estimate how many arapaima there were in each lake.  Many lakes had little or no arapaima and it seemed like the lakes that were farther or more difficult to reach had more.  Still, we saw and heard hundreds of arapaima come to the surface and breathe.  Throughout the expedition, I walked with the fishermen and documented their work and the scenery with photos and video.

 

We Hiked, Splashed, Crawled, and Climbed to Get to the Lakes

Once we Got to the Lake we Waited, Watched, and Listened for Arapaima

Although my plans were modified, my trip to Brazil was extremely valuable.  I met, worked with, and befriended fishermen from communities where I hope to do research in the future.  I was able to practice and improve my Portuguese.  I saw a broad area of the floodplain– a place that is shaped by water (and increasingly by people) and sustains plants, animals (fishes included), and people.  I did not see any arapaima out of water, but I saw many come to the surface and roll their backs with a splash.  In some cases their greenish sides showed shades of bright red, a sign they were ready to breed. An important source of food across the Amazon, the arapaima is also a source of income for fishing communities across the Amazon.  During the expedition I met the people and communities that depend on fishing resources, like the arapaima, for sustenance and income. 

Photos of Houses in Various Communities

The Fishermen

I am already preparing for my return in March- reaching out to contacts and looking for additional funds to finish my work.  I look forward to going back, especially after fine-tuning my research plans (and changing this blog accordingly).  Before then, I'll post a few more stories and pictures from the survey expedition in the coming weeks.  Enjoy!

Scenery of the Amazon and the Floodplain near the City of Santarém

A Short Trip

I spent three days back in Santarém, practicing my Portuguese, getting ready for my work, and taking the time go to a Forró concert -  popular Brazilian music and type of dance.  To get into the field as quickly as possible, I decided to accompany someone, Fabio, who was taking a two-day trip to speak with several communities about arapaima management and population surveys.  This time we traveled in style on a larger boat with a bathroom, shower, kitchen, and space for our hammocks.  Unfortunately, the breeze that felt so nice before we set off picked up across the width of the Amazon and filled the river with swells that made the trip rocky and me sick.  I set up my hammock and rocked to sleep, waking now and then when we hit a large wave and I swung into a post.

Our boat (home) for this trip

Long shaft motor boat (the type of transport we used during my first outing)

Fabio went from one community to another to discuss arapaima ecology and promote arapaima management efforts. It was great to see his outreach presentations and the communities taking a serious interest in what he had to say.   Arapaima support the livelihood of many people and are an important resource to harvest sustainability.  However, the future of arapaima is threatened by not only overfishing, but also changing land use practices.  The habitat that arapaima need is increasingly degraded by cattle, forest clearance, river bank erosion, and more.  These interrelated problems affect the lives of the people, the arapaima, and all life in the várzea.

Cows climbing a bank (or trying to)

Erosion along river banks of the Amazon

During his presentation, Fabio also talked about a survey later in the year to determine the status of arapaima across a large area.   Arapaima breathe air and can be counted when they surface.  In fact, arapaima can drown if they can’t surface (yes, this fish can “drown”).  The dry season is the best time to do this since the fish are all in lakes and channels.  In January, the rains begin to flood this entire region and join all the water bodies with the mighty Amazon.  I went to two lakes and, although I didn't see any arapaima nests, I did see arapaima coming up to breath.  The fisherman said that the first, with a small pop and splash, was a small fish probably less than 1 m.  A few minutes later, with an incredible pop and splash, a fish at least a meter and a half.  The arapaima can grow to 3 m in length and 200 kg in weight… a massive size… but it usually harvested before it gets that big.  I will try to record a clip of arapaima breath and post it .

Two very different lakes with arapaima

The várzea is home to many animals

In the evening, we played dominos at one of the communities.  Four people sat at the table, slamming down the dominos as if they were trying to catch a fly.  They asked if I wanted to play and I hesitantly agreed since I hadn’t played dominos in a long time and I didn’t have enough time to make sure that that’s what they were playing.  I played their game and slapped the dominos down but my last piece I laid down softly- I won the first three games (to the surprise of all).  An older lady was especially surprised (and slightly upset) that this “gringo” was winning.  After my first three wins, I won a few more times but didn’t have another streak of luck.

The sunset is always stunning

Before I knew it, I was back in Santarém and had to plan to go back into the field soon.  If only it was more like playing dominoes…