Conservation Status
The Silver Arowana is currently not listed on any CITES appendix nor on the 2004 IUCN Red List. It is one of the most popular ornamental fish from South America, however, and therefore its conservation status merits attention.
As reported by Environment News Service in August 2005, shared use of the Silver Arowana population was a cause for a dispute between Brazilian and Colombian authorities. Juvenile Silver Arowanas are caught in Colombia for sale as aquarium fish, while the people of Brazilian Amazonia catch adult fish for food. A sharp drop in the number of arowanas had caused Brazilian authorities to prohibit fishing of them between September 1 and November 15; the Colombians, on their part, would prohibit capturing them between November 1 and March 15.
The Silver Arowana is often kept as a pet by experienced aquarist, being considered an accessible substitute for the Asian arowana, which is listed on CITES Appendix I and is therefore difficult and expensive to obtain legally.
Read more about this topic: Silver Arowana
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