Threats
Overexploitation of Biological Resources
As they can provide a high yield of meat, arapaimas are a popular target of local fishermen. Living in waters that are oxygen deficient, arapaimas surface every 5 to 15 minutes to take in oxygen from the air. They are easy to capture due to their constant emergence above water. Overfishing has not only reduced their average body size, but also depleted some populations. Although their capture is banned in some regions, illegal fishing still takes place.
