SOME 13 Arapaimas have died as the North Rupununi continues to grapple with a prolonged dry spell. It is suspected that they were dragged from a shallow pond by animals in the area.Regarded as the world’s largest scaled freshwater fish, the Arapaima is a protected species in Guyana.

Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes, in a post on his Facebook Page, described the scene as a “natural massacre in the dry season.”

He revealed that on Sunday, while in the North Rupununi, he received information that some Arapaimas had been stranded in a very low pond close to the community of Rewa. This pond had not previously been known to host Arapaimas, so he and some residents left the lodge with the intention of rescuing the Arapaimas and transferring them from the pond to the Rupununi River.

Upon arriving at the location, the team was greeted by the horrific scene of the dead Arapaimas. They managed to rescue only one.

“When we arrived there, what we observed was simply a massacre. Thirteen Arapaimas had been dragged from the pond, which was virtually mud, and killed about 100 yards away. This massacre had been committed by either a jaguar or a puma,” Hughes said in his Facebook post.

He explained that the trail, which was strewn with Arapaima scales, led from the pond to the place where the Arapaimas were killed. It was noted that twelve of the thirteen were very young Arapaimas, and there was a medium-sized one. The sole survivor was extracted from the pond and transferred to the Rupununi River.

The Arapaima is found mainly in Guyana, Brazil and Peru, and is noted under Appendix 2 in the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which controls the trade of this species to ensure that the fish are utilised in a manner that ensures their survival.

Hughes has met with residents of Rewa to discuss Catch and Release regulations for Arapaima sport fishing in the North Rupununi as an income generating venture for the community.