Where Do Your Aquarium Fish Come From?
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the rio negro
in brazil one of the largest tributaries
in the world it pumps a million cubic
feet of water into the amazon river
every second during each wet season
the waters rise flooding the forest
floor
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and amongst these flooded trees live
millions and millions
of tiny tropical fish many of which are
common
in home aquariums around the world
chief amongst them is the cardinal tetra
a tiny iridescent fish
whose population explodes during the wet
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season
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today we're following mara celia and her
daughter
josele a pair of pia bears or local
fishers
as they collect cardinal tetras for the
aquarium trade
in this flooded forest there are likely
millions
of cardinals but that doesn't mean
catching them
is easy
these waterways may look inviting but
the river
is filled with branches roots and stumps
that would snack a large cast or sane
net
here the only way to catch small fish is
by hand
and that is where maura celia's happy
shay comes into play
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this long net can be operated with just
one hand
leaving her second hand free so she can
use a paddle to herd the fish
with each dip maricelia captures a few
dozen fish
which she can then collect with a bowl
tossing the fish into a waiting basket
may seem
unsympathetic but this technique
minimizes the average time fish are
exposed to air
which drastically increases their
long-term survival
these fish will end up in home aquariums
but many more fish will continue their
lives in the water below
years of studying these collection sites
haven't shown a measurable impact
on the base population of fish
so it appears that hand catching fish is
sustainable
in these waterways
this is daraqua a small fishing village
on the rio negro
they don't depend on logging or mining
or
farming all of which can threaten the
rainforest
they rely on fishing
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the cardinal tetras they catch are
stored in holding pins
these fish will be sold for a few
pennies apiece
so the people of daraqua try to collect
as many as they can
before they transfer these fish to a
motorboat that brings them to the
capital city of manaus where they're
sold
this is the story of the people that
live and work
on the rio negro it's the story of a
vast and beautiful rainforest
under threat from the outside world
and it's the story of a tiny fish that's
surprisingly important
so that was an early look at a small
portion
of the film i'm working on fishing for
cardinals
now what you just watched isn't just a
lift from the final film
the actual film will feel very different
but the story you just saw the story
will
stay the same this story was brought to
my attention
and largely supported by project piaba
an international non-profit that is
focused on
telling the story and promoting these
local fishers these
pier baros that are collecting fish from
the rio negro
and selling them to the international
aquarium trade
the real hook of it the draw is that
this appears to be
sustainable and that's why i wanted
to tell this story so often stories of
conservation
are heartbreaking but this one this
seems to be a story
of local fishers that are collecting a
resource
from their environment and not having a
long-term
negative impact on the ecosystem
in a world where the amazon rainforest
is really
struggling to survive because of
pressures from logging
from farming and from mining this is a
story of the
people that live on the rio negro
getting their resources getting their
income from a form that is sustainable
and that is an amazing story and it's a
story that i'm excited
to tell but i need your help at least
those that speak
portuguese see i have a collection of
interviews that i would love to be
translated
so if you speak portuguese and you're
willing to donate a little bit of your
time to help this project
follow the link in the description it
would mean a lot to me to be able to use
their voices on this youtube channel
i hope that you'll consider subscribing
to this channel so you'll get continuous
updates on this project now most of my
videos will still be around the actual
aquariums like
the one in the background of this shot
but
uh i want to bring us to the rio necro
region
every month or two and check in on some
of the incredible stories
that are happening in the ecosystems
where a lot of the fish
from the aquarium trade find their home
if you want to know more about this
story you can check out project piaba's
website there is a link in the
description
and there's a link to my film's website
over time that site will become more and
more
robust so i hope you check it out
i also want to thank the person that
provided me with all the drone footage
for this project uh her name is chelsea
green
she's a good friend of mine and she's
working on a different film
on the amazon rainforest the story of
why
this forest is disappearing it's called
one forest
i will provide a link to her website as
well
and i want to thank her so sincerely for
lending me a couple of shots so that you
get the sense of
this ecosystem you'll be hearing a lot
more about this project as the months go
on
as i figure out how to go back to the
rio negro
during a world filled with covid
as well as figuring out how to best tell
this story and share it
with the world so i hope that you follow
along on this journey
i'm really excited to share it with you
thanks so much
have a great day and i will see you next
time