Challenges and Opportunities for Co-Management of a Migratory Fish (Prochilodus nigricans) in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract.—Fisheries co-management lies at the center of environmental, social, and economic issues in the lower Pastaza River basin in the Peruvian Amazon. In this remote region, the intermingling of black and white water systems creates unique aquatic habi-tats that harbor diverse assemblages of fishes, including Prochilodus nigricans, a migratory species of high ecological and socioeconomic importance throughout the Amazon. In the lower Pastaza basin, freshwater fishes provide a major source of food and income for in-digenous communities such as the Kandozi. However, the basin’s aquatic resources and the livelihoods of indigenous people are being compromised by environmentally unsound practices such as overfishing by unregulated commercial fishers and pollution from petro-leum exploration and exploitation in the region. In response, there has been a concerted effort by indigenous communities, conservation organizations, and the Peruvian govern-ment to develop systems of fisheries co-management in recent years. Near Lake Rimachi, the largest lake in the Peruvian Amazon, an association of Kandozi fishermen was re-cently formed to oversee the management of the lake’s aquatic resources. The association is working towards implementation of a newly created fisheries management plan, whic