The Balbina hydroelectric power plant is located on the Uatumã River, 170 km from Manaus. The reservoir started to fill in 1987 and operations began in 1989, with one of the five planned turbines. Despite the reduction in fish diversity and other environmental and social damages that resulted from its installation, some species of fish proliferated in the reservoir, notably the tucunaré (Cichla sp), which is the target for intensive fishing. The exploitation of this species began as soon as the reservoir was filled, and has been maintained since, with a median production of 500 ton/yr, involving 100 to 160 professional fisherman as well as many amateur fishermen. The boats used have low capacity, between 800 and 5,000 kg. The fishes are maintained and transported in ice arising from Manaus. Due to the great dimensions of the reservoir, around 2360 km2, the density of fishermen is very low, about 0.04 and 0.07/km2. This study describes the fishery activities, analyses the levels of production and discusses criteria that should be adopted in order to achieve an appropriate management of this important natural resource.
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