Taste of Amazon

An iconic fish brings new hope to Amazon communities

Deep in the Amazon rainforest, the indigenous communities of the Juruá River have been living a life in balance with nature for Millennials. Now, faced with the destructive forces of our modern world, they are striving to preserve one of the last paradise on planet earth: Arapaima, the iconic fish from the Amazon, brings them hope and change!

Project Profile

Location

Juruá & Purus River
Amazon, Brazil

Year of Initiation

2021

Number of Producers

14'000 people

Current Scale

280 Indigenous
Communities

Conservation Impact

150'000 km2
Primary Rainforest

Catch Volume

1'400 MT Arapaima

About this project

An iconic species

Indigenous communities in the Amazon are deeply connected to the Arapaima, the largest fish in the Amazon. Being an airbreather, the fish can easily be spotted and hunted. Overexploited in the past, Arapaima stocks have been recovering thanks to improved management, research and strict surveillance.

SCIENCE MEETS COMMUNITIES​

Blueyou’s local partner JURUÁ INSTITUTE fosters collaboration between science and indigenous communities’ leadership to ensure biodiversity conservation, sustainable management of natural resources and improvement of the quality of life for river communities in the Amazon.

UNIQUE CONSERVATION PROGRAM

In a collaborative effort, more than 280 communities along the Juruá River are participating in the conservation program which restores stocks of Arapaima and develops specific conservation and management plans for each community for an area of 150’000 km2 of rainforest.

AMAZON OXBOW LAKES

For the management and harvesting of Arapaima, hundreds of oxbow lakes in the rainforest become the key focus: During the dry season, when the rainforest is not flooded, all fish draw back into the lakes. Here, they can be counted and based on set quota, every fifth lake is harvested.

INCOME FOR RIVER COMMUNITIES

The concept is a co-existence between primary rainforest and sustainable extraction of natural resources by local communities. Sustainably harvested Arapaima provides more than 80 % of the communities’ annual income!

RECOGNITION BY FAIR TRADE

Successful coexistence between nature and people is only possible if local communities thrive. The initiated Fair Trade certification program will drive recognition by markets and support connecting indigenous communities with global consumers.

TRACEABILITY & COMPLIANCE

One key component of the conservation program is the strict monitoring of all catches of Arapaima. Every single fish caught is tagged and officially registered, creating the basis for traceability and effective combating of illegal fishing.

MANUFACTURING

As global export and market development partner, Blueyou supervises the processing and manufacturing of products and monitors quality assurance protocols to safeguard compliance with global food safety norms.

IMPACT WHERE IT MATTERS 

​The Amazon basin is the largest rainforest ecosystem on our planet. It regulates global climate and hosts the highest diversity of species. The Amazon is humanity’s lifeline for stable and viable conditions to survive.

Check out our products!

Serving The Ocean

Our commitment for walking the talk