This archive report was first published on 22 October 2019.
Published on October 22, 2019, a sustainable fishing program with strict quotas was established at a nature preserve, bringing the pirarucu back from the brink of extinction.
The pirarucu, also known as Amazonian cod, can only be fished from July to November, the non-mating season.
Thanks to the efforts of chefs and indigenous communities, the pirarucu is now a prized dish in Rio de Janeiro's fanciest restaurants.
"Without them, there would be nothing left," says Frederic Monnier, the head chef at the city's hip Brasserie Rosario.
Several Rio chefs, including Marcelo Barcellos and Jessica Trindade, have happily added pirarucu to their menus, serving it in dishes like moqueca, a fish stew swimming in palm oil and seasoned with coriander.
Barcellos, the executive chef and owner of the restaurant Barsa, praises the pirarucu's superior quality, saying it's largely superior to what they get from fish farms.
"It's an excellent product, with a fabulous flavor, without that earthy taste that some freshwater fish have," Trindade says.
The sustainable fishing project for the pirarucu was put in place 20 years ago, and since then, the giant fish population has soared, from more than 2,500 in 1999 to more than 190,000 last year.
Thanks to ASPROC, the fishermen are paid seven reais (about $1.75) per kilo (2.2 pounds), against the four reais they could count on by selling in local markets.
Restaurants pay a whopping 48 reais a kilo, because of transportation costs, and the dish is then sold for about 70 reais ($17).
