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WEKU
WEKU
World
John Otis

Rare good news from the Amazon: Gigantic fish are thriving again

A riverside fisherman pulls a captured pirarucu into his canoe in Lake Amanã on Nov. 15. (Bruno Kelly for NPR)

MAMIRAUÁ RESERVE, Brazil — On this stretch of the Amazon River, you don't need a fish finder to locate the pirarucu, one of the world's largest freshwater fish. The splashing gives them away.

Like the saltwater tarpon, the pirarucu is an air-breathing fish that must rise to the surface every 15 minutes or so to gulp oxygen. That makes it easier to locate and catch pirarucu — also known as arapaima or paiche — that can grow to be 10-feet long, weigh up to 450 pounds and are prized for their meat.

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