YACUTAYTA
The Union for Community Fishing (UPC)
Due to the consequence of uncontrollable depredation, and because there were no laws to protect the Amazon’s biodiversity, the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, the NGO Pro-Naturaleza and the Regional Board of Fishery of Loreto initiated the implementation of strategies for the formation of the Union for Community Fishing (UPC).
The main objectives were to organize and empower groups within the local communities to manage the water, animal and plant resources within the Reserve responsibly, and to establish a system for communal fishing. The hope was that by educating local populations, further decimation of the region could be prevented, and the nature-dependent lifestyle of the community could be maintained into the future, as opposed to full-scale development and destruction of resources for large economic interests such as petroleum and wood.
In 1995 the UPC commenced activities related to responsible commercial fishery, focusing on the conservation and management of the food fish species, the “gamitana” (Colossoma mactropomum), the “paiche” (Arapaima gigas), the “arahuana” (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) and the collection of the taricaya turtle eggs (Podocnemis unifilis).
Currently the associates/members of the Yacu Tayta group take ten-day turns patrolling the region. Between the months of January and June, due to the abundance of rain, the water levels rise and cause the dispersion of many animal species. The jungle floods and converts into a place full of canals. For these reasons it becomes difficult to gain access to the various resources the jungle has to offer.
Between the months of June and December, when the waters slowly recede, communities once again gain access to the different species in the area. It is during this season that the UPC Yacu Tayta engages in the practices of responsible fishing of the “arahuana” and “paiche” and the collection of the “taricaya” eggs.
Gallery
Sponsoring Institutions
