By William N. Camargo, Christopher C. Kohler, and Susan T. Kohler, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; Mariano Rebaza Alfaro, Carmela Rebaza Alfaro, and Sonia Deza Taboada, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana, Pucallpa; and Eliana Villafana Salinas and Carlos Alvarez Janampa, Marina de Guerra Ucayali, Pucallpa
ince May 2001, the Institute for the Investigation of the Peruvian Amazon (IIAP), with the assistance of two part-time Ucayali navy biologists, Eliana Villasana Salinas and Carlos Alvarez Janampa, has been leading an applied aquaculture training program at the Ucayali Naval Base in Pucallpa, Peru. Through this program, fish culture of the most prominent and highly accepted fish species: gamitana (Colossoma macropomum), paco (Piaractus brachypomus), and paiche (Arapaima gigas) is being promoted in the Peruvian Amazon region to increase the supply of fish and to reduce overfishing of wild populations. According to Ministry of Fisheries statistics, these species together now represent only 0.7 to 2.0% of the total landings in the region. In the 1970s gamitana landings were listed singly because of the large volume captured; nowadays it appears under the label “others,” or species captured that are less than 1% of the total catch (Fernando Alcantara, personal communication).
Our program seeks to train navy personnel, particularly those from the Amazon region, in techniques used to culture native aquatic species. In addition to making the naval base more self-sustaining with respect to food supply, it is anticipated that when these personnel conclude their tours of duty they will have the experience to successfully initiate subsistence levels of aquaculture production or to find employment as technicians in the region’s growing fish culture industry.
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| Left to right: Mariano Rebaza Alfaro, IIAP Aquaculture Production Director, holding a paco, President Edwin Vazquez López, Ucayali Regional President, holding a gamitana, and Carlos Alvarez Janampa, holding some acarahuasu at the Ucayali Navy Base. Photo: W. Camargo |
The Ucayali Naval Base is located on the outskirts of the city of Pucallpa, Peru.
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| The Ucayali Naval Base aquaculture ponds near the city of Pucallpa, Peru. Photo: Marina de Guerra |
The base has a total of seven hectares of ponds (3 ponds of 0.1 ha, 2 ponds of 0.35 ha, 3 ponds of 0.5 ha, and a reservoir of 4.3 ha) constructed in 1994 by the National Fund for Fisheries Development (FONDEPES) and reactivated in 2001. The reactivation involved the rehabilitation of the ponds since they were not used much, or at all, after they were constructed. Thus, IIAP rehabilitated the ponds in 2001 and hired part-time biologists. The training program, which is entirely voluntary, takes place over three months out of a two-year tour of volunteer military service.
IIAP (Pucallpa) Aquaculture Production Director Mariano Rebaza Alfaro is responsible, together with his two colleagues, Carmela Rebaza Alfaro and Sonia Deza Taboada, for the theoretical and practical training of the navy personnel at the IIAPs Pucallpa research station. The two part-time biologists are in charge of the daily reinforcement of the concepts learned through IIAPs three-month technical training program. To date, approximately 20 navy personnel have matriculated in the joint IIAP-navy program—so far, all that have enrolled have graduated.
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| Ucayali Navy biologist Eliana Villafana of the Ucayali Naval Base aquaculture station. Photo: W. Camargo |
The species cultured at the Ucayali Naval Base are paco, gamitana, and paiche, the latter used for fingerling production. Other species include acarahuasu (Astronotus ocellatus) and pacotana, a hybrid of male paco and female gamitana. While paco, gamitana, and paiche are highly accepted among both rural and urban inhabitants, acarahuasu, commonly known as oscar, is less accepted as food fish by city dwellers. The pacotana hybrid species is still under research and is very promising for cultivation in enclosed environments because of their larvae’s low-temperature resistance and very rapid growth.
In a 10-month period, the Ucayali navy program successfully produced up to 8,000 kg ha-1 of fish in semi-intensive culture conditions. These were large fingerlings. In May 2001, June 2002, and August 2003 harvested fingerlings weighed in at 15 g, 50 g, and 12 g, respectively. The diet comprised 28% crude protein supplemented with several local fruits, such as camu-camu, starfruit, pijuayo, and others. The fingerlings were donated by IIAP and Southern Illinois University Carbondale under Aquaculture CRSP sponsorship or, in the case of gamitana, purchased from the Instituto de Investigaciones Tropicales y de Altura (IVITA) in Pucallpa.
Following the success of the joint project, a similar program is underway at the Loreto Naval Base under the direction of FONDEPES in Iquitos, Peru. The fish produced by the Ucayali Naval Base are either consumed at the base or sold (October through April) in San Martín, Aguaytía, Tingo María, Alto Huallaga, and as far away as in Lima. The profits are reinvested into the aquaculture enterprise.
