Report prepared by Justine Kowalski and Ben McGibbon, students in BCIT's Fish, Wildlife and Recreation Program.

Scientists estimate the number of fish species living in the rivers of the Amazon Basin to be between 3,000 and 5,000. Societies such as the WWF are looking at fisheries resources, examining the abundance and diversity of species. Locals survive primarily on fish, so groups such as the WWF make natural resources in this area there primary focus. Many fish are used as fish meal that is exported to countries such as Canada. The fish meal industry provides jobs for approximately 200,000 people in the Amazon Basin.

Fish populations in the Amazon Basin are threatened by:

• urban settlement
• commercial fisheries
• predatory fisheries
• cattle ranching
• flood plain alteration and control
• government projects
• mining
• oil pipeline construction
• deforestation