Photo credit: Jaime Uribe and Lury Garcia (Colombia)
Review: Abdel Rahman El Gamal
The possible contribution of “arapaima” (Arapaima gigas) is based on its successful farming in some countries especially in Brazil. The farming of arapaima is done as a part of the conservation of the species or for commercial operations. The potential development of arapaima aquaculture is based on production and marketing characteristics including:
- Perform well in fish ponds
- Resistant to disease and tolerant to low dissolved oxygen (it has a modified and enlarged swim bladder able to breathe atmospheric oxygen)
- High growth rate as considered as one of the world’s largest freshwater fish
- Even carnivore, they could fed on foods and byproducts of low economic value
- Enjoys high market demand and consumer acceptance and hence high commercial value
- Yields value added by-products (scales, head, tongue and skin). For example, the its tongue is thought to have medicinal benefits in South America in regard to killing intestinal worms
