DISTRIBUTION:
 Amazon River Basin of South America HABITS: These fish are air breathers and can inhabit water that is oxygen deficient. They are also piscivorous. SPAWNING: These fish can spawn year round but it normally coincides with the beginning of the wet season. This normally takes place from October to February. Females attain sexual maturity at 5 years of age. These fish are now being produced in hatcheries in the Peruvian Amazon. GROWTH: They can attain a length of 3 meters and up to 150 kg in weight. This makes them one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. These fish have a food conversion ratio of 1.1-1 and can reach a weight of 10 kg in one year. USES: Pirarucu have excellent quality meat and are very popular with consumers in the Amazon region. They have a dress out yield of 57%. CULTURE: Pirarucu have a great tolerance to poor water quality, which makes them good candidates to culture. They are readily feed trained but require high protein feed. It is also fairly easy to spawn them in captivity. They can also be raised in ponds that have been stocked with a natural food source. Mojarra and bujurqui stocked at densities of 20,000-30,000 fish/pond two months before the pirarucu are stocked yields good results. They can also be raised in cages at densities of 25 fish per cubic meter. REFERENCES:
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