Application Note: The Newport Aquarium's WAVE Foundation Uses YSI Instruments To Support Project Piaba

Aquatic ecosystems and resources of the Amazon basin are the predominant basis of sustainability for the rainforest. Fishes are frequently overlooked in more publicized conservation or development projects in the Amazon despite the enormous diversity of fishes (over 3,000 species) and the socioeconomic importance of the fisheries. Food fi shes comprise the principal component of the Amazonian diet. The ornamental fish trade is also of economic importance to local fishermen and in the worldwide market.

More than 40 million live fishes are exported from the region annually for the Amazonas State economy and in excess of $100M in worldwide retail value. Th e mid-Rio Negro basin is the primary fishing grounds and the municipality of Barcelos is the principal trading post where trade in ornamental fishes now contribute over 60% of the local revenue.

A single species, the cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) constitutes over 80% of the total export from the Rio Negro basin. Natural fluctuations in fish populations, fish mortality rate during capture and transport, and market demand are the main constraints on the fishermens subsistence. As adaptation to the extreme fluctuations in Amazon ecology, many ornamental fishes have a short life cycle (1-2 years) and high fecundity that allow their populations to sustain the ornamental fishery business long-term.