We agree-it sounds strange. But the Rio Negro fishery is unique because it is both enormously productive and based on an annual cycle of flooding in the Amazon basin. Aquarium fish, like most tetras, spawn during the high water, when food and shelter for their offspring is most abundant. As the floodwaters recede, many millions of adult fish will be stranded in shallow blackwater swamps where they will eventually die. Fishermen and women along the Rio Negro almost exclusively target these fish for collection, which has a minimal impact on overall populations. In addition, the most commonly harvested fish from the region occur across a large geographic area with minimal genetic variation between populations-which allows for significant, localized harvest without diminishing the genetic diversity of the species being collected. Finally, the Rio Negro aquarium fishery experiences an annual closure-during which collection is off-limits-from May through August. This closure was prompted on behalf of the fishers themselves and coincides with the high water season when fish can spawn and stocks replenish without human interference. Aquarium fish from the region are an abundant and renewable natural resource.

But the premise of Project Piaba goes beyond just a sustainable fishery-research continues to indicate that collection of aquarium fish along the Rio Negro actually helps preserve critical riverine and rainforest habitats by providing livelihoods for the people living in this biodiversity hotspot. Aquarium fish collectors, often living on the margins of the forest, have a reliable source of income from the fishery and are therefore deterred from environmentally destructive activities like slash-and-burn agriculture or illegal logging.

Aquacultured aquarium fish are often a great choice, and in some cases may represent a much more sustainable option than wild-collected fish. In the specific case of the Rio Negro, however, competition from aquacultured cardinal tetras and other staples led to the fishery's decline and the loss of significant economic and environmental benefits to the region. Each individual case is different, and it is impossible to generalize whether wild fish or aquacultured fish are a better option every time.

At Segrest, we strive to make the best sourcing decisions we can-whether that involves supporting wild fisheries or aquaculture. We would encourage retailers and hobbyists to do the same, and research what options are the most beneficial for the hobby, the industry, and most importantly, the environment.

Project Piaba has a 20-year history in the Rio Negro, where it originated as a primarily research-focused organization. Founded by Dr. Ning Labbish Chao in 1989, the project has helped organize much of the extensive field research into the ecology and aquarium fishery in the region. More recently, the Project has entered a new iteration under the leadership of Scott Dowd at New England Aquarium. Project Piaba is now focusing on improving and promoting the Rio Negro aquarium fishery to ensure it remains viable and sustainable for generations to come.

Any purchase of wild Rio Negro fish directly supports the fishery and helps provide sustainable livelihoods for hundreds of aquarium fish collectors, or piabeiros, in the region. The support is urgently needed to keep this fishery viable and to ensure that piabeiro families in the Rio Negro have a continued source of income from their trade and are not forced to turn to other, more environmentally destructive, livelihoods. In addition, the Rio Negro is home to hundreds of the most colorful and popular aquarium species in the trade-many of which can only be found there. Choosing wild Rio Negro fish not only adds vibrant colors and fascinating behaviors to your home aquarium, but also provides a tangible link to the blackwater habitat of these fish-a habitat which you are helping to preserve by your purchase.

Segrest Farms is proud to import and distribute wild Rio Negro fish to many of its retail customers nationwide. Any retail aquarium shop we provide fish to has access to wild Rio Negro fish (availability may vary). Additionally, we work with several stores with a special interest in supporting Project Piaba who will likely have the best selection and availability of wild Rio Negro fish. Use our Store Locator to find a shop near you!

Most fish collection in the Rio Negro occurs in remote, forested areas with pristine waters and unspoiled rainforest. Fishers know that to the long-term health of their fishery is dependent on the habitat of the species they collect remaining intact, and engage in community-based resource stewardship to protect the forests and streams they rely on. Additionally, research indicates that the cash income provided by aquarium fish collection can deter environmentally damaging activities like illegal logging, gold mining, and slash-and-burn agriculture, all of which are major threats to biodiversity throughout the Amazon basin. By providing a viable, sustainable way for people and communities living in the vast rainforests surrounding the Rio Negro to provide for themselves and their families, many of the destructive practices which threaten tropical ecosystems worldwide can be kept at bay.

References:
Tlusty M, Dowd S, Raghavan P. 2008. Saving forests through the fisheries-ornamental fisheries as a means to avoid deforestation. OFI Journal 56: 21-25

Prang, G. "Aviamento and the ornamental fishery of the Rio Negro, Brazil: implications for sustainable resource use." Conservation and Management of Ornamental Fish Resources of the Rio Negro Basin, Amazonia, Brazil. Chao et al. (eds). Manaus: U of Amazonas, 2001

Project Piaba is currently engaged in a number of activities directly aimed at supporting and improving the fishery. It helps promote wild Rio Negro fish through exhibits at many public aquariums and zoos nationwide by educating visitors on the benefits of choosing these fish for their home aquariums. In Brazil, the project continues to work with government agencies to ensure the fishery remains economically viable. It is also currently engaged in a program to train fishery participants in appropriate fish handling practices to reduce mortality in the supply chain and increase the overall quality of wild Rio Negro fish on the market. Check out www.projectpiaba.org for more information and updates on their work in the Rio Negro.

This is another area where initial, logical assumptions are not entirely correct. The Rio Negro, as a blackwater habitat, has water chemistry that is very different from most other rivers in the world. The water has almost no detectable hardness and very low pH, often dipping below 4.0 and sometimes even below 3.0. There is a large amount of organic matter from leaves and branches dissolved into the water that gives it its characteristic tea color. It is only logical to assume that you need to set up your aquarium to match these conditions.

Fortunately, this isn’t really case. By the time you receive your Rio Negro fish, they have been taken from their collection site in the Rio Negro to Barcelos for holding to Manaus to Segrest Farms in Florida. At every step of the way, the water gets a little bit farther away from the conditions of the Rio Negro, and by the time they have reached the United States (which can be up to a month after they were collected) they have gradually acclimated to relatively neutral water conditions. Here at Segrest Farms, they are being kept in relatively soft water (though nowhere near as soft as the Rio Negro) at a pH of 7.2. If you try to suddenly put them back into highly acidic water, they will be extremely stressed and likely to become sick or die.

Once you have received your Rio Negro fish, you can certainly acclimate it back to conditions mimicking the Rio Negro or you can keep them in fairly neutral water. They may need Rio Negro-like conditions if you want to see them breed, or if you just want to create an accurate biotope, but they can live healthily in other water parameters. If you do want to recreate the Rio Negro in your aquarium, acclimate your fish back to those conditions very slowly to avoid unnecessary stress.

The easiest and most direct way to help is to simply choose wild Rio Negro fish when purchasing fish for your aquarium. There are dozens of commonly available species from this region suitable for beginner, intermediate, and advanced aquarists. Or consider setting up a Rio Negro biotope aquarium, stocked entirely with species which would be found together in the blackwater streams and shallow creeks along the Negro. If buying fish isn't a possibility for you, consider making a donation to Project Piaba to help them continue their work, or inquiring about opportunities to volunteer.