Free Republic

The scheme is run by local businessmen, who pay fishermen to enter the Javari Valley, catch fish, and deliver it to them. One of the most valuable targets is the world’s largest freshwater fish with scales, the arapaima. It weighs up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds) and can reach 3 meters (10 feet). The fish is sold in nearby cities, including Leticia, Colombia, Tabatinga, Brazil, and Iquitos, Peru.

Dead arapaima washes up in Cape CoralThe Burmese python, green iguana and lionfish are, by now, well-known invasive species that have established a dangerous foothold in Florida. But a fearsome new invasive predator has emerged in the state: the arapaima, a monster fish that can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds. A dead one recently washed ashore in Cape Coral’s Jaycee Park along the Caloosahatchee River, which runs from Lake Okeechobee west to the Gulf of Mexico. The arapaima is native to the Amazon River in South America and is one of the world’s largest...