Guillermo Otta Parum, a fisherman in the Bolivian Amazon, has been fishing for over 50 years. Initially, he caught native fish like catfish, but then a giant freshwater fish called paiche or Arapaima gigas arrived. At first, Guillermo thought the paiche was dangerous and poisonous, but it is actually one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, growing up to 4 meters in length and weighing over 200kg. The paiche is spreading deeper into the rivers of the Amazon basin each year, posing a serious threat to native fish stocks. It is a territorial fish that scares off other species, causing them to flee to more remote and inaccessible areas.

The exact year of the paiche's arrival in Bolivia is unknown, but it is believed to have originated from a breach in a paiche fish farm in Peru. Fernando Carvajal, a biologist and paiche expert, describes the fish as ravenous, growing at a rate of 10kg per year during its early years. Despite its lack of impressive teeth, the paiche feeds on piranhas, other fish, plants, molluscs, and even birds. Fishermen have reported a decline in native species, and Carvajal warns that the paiche will continue to spread and negatively impact biodiversity.

However, the arrival of the paiche has been beneficial for local fishermen. Initially afraid of the fish, they soon realized its potential. The paiche is now widely consumed in Bolivia, with Edson Suzano running a paiche-processing plant that sells the fish in supermarkets and markets. The challenge for fishermen is finding the paiche in the vast Amazon. The fish prefers calmer water and migrates when it feels threatened, leading fishermen to travel to remote areas by boat and canoe for up to two weeks. This has caused conflicts with indigenous communities who have land titles to the lagoons where paiche are found.

Indigenous communities argue that they are protecting the resources they have a right to control, and commercial fishermen often face obstacles even with the correct paperwork. Juan Carlos Ortiz Chávez, a paiche fisherman from an indigenous community, explains that the new generation has established rules to prevent outsiders from taking their resources. Scientists like Federico Moreno hope that fishing, regardless of who is doing it, will help maintain a balance between different species and keep paiche numbers in check.

Original news source: The fish that eats piranhas for breakfast (BBC)

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of vocabulary words related to the article, such as "fisherman," "Amazon," "paiche," "biodiversity," and "indigenous communities." One member from each team will take turns acting out the word without speaking, while their teammates try to guess what word it is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
– News Summary
Instructions: Have students individually read the article and write a short summary of the main points. Then, divide the class into pairs or small groups and have them share and compare their summaries. Encourage discussion and ask follow-up questions to check comprehension.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Assign each group a role, such as fisherman, biologist, or indigenous community member. Each group will discuss and debate their opinions on the paiche situation in the Amazon. After the discussion, have each group present their opinions and arguments to the class. As a class, conduct a poll to see which group's opinion is most popular, and discuss the reasons behind the results.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Prepare a list of vocabulary words from the article on flashcards or slips of paper. Divide the class into pairs or small groups. One student from each group will draw a word from the list and try to convey the meaning to their partner(s) through a drawing. The partner(s) must guess the word based on the drawing. Set a time limit for each round and rotate the roles.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, have students create a catchy and informative headline for the article about the paiche in the Amazon. Encourage creativity and accuracy in summarizing the main points of the article. After each group presents their headline, discuss the different approaches and choose the most effective headline as a class.

Guillermo Otta Parum, a fisherman in the ? Amazon, has been fishing for over 50 years. Initially, he caught native fish like catfish, but then a giant freshwater fish called paiche or Arapaima ? arrived. At first, Guillermo thought the paiche was dangerous and poisonous, but it is actually one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, growing up to 4 meters in length and weighing over 200kg. The paiche is spreading deeper into the rivers of the Amazon basin each year, posing a serious threat to native fish stocks. It is a territorial fish that ? off ? species, causing them to flee to more ? and inaccessible areas. The exact year of the paiche's arrival in Bolivia is unknown, but it is ? to have originated from a breach in a paiche fish farm in Peru. Fernando Carvajal, a biologist and paiche expert, describes the fish as ravenous, growing at a rate of 10kg per year during its early years. Despite its lack of impressive teeth, the paiche feeds on piranhas, other fish, plants, molluscs, and even birds. Fishermen have reported a decline in ? species, and Carvajal warns that the paiche will continue to ? and negatively impact biodiversity. However, the arrival of the paiche has been beneficial for ? fishermen. Initially afraid of the fish, they soon realized its potential. The paiche is now widely consumed in Bolivia, with Edson Suzano running a paiche-processing ? that sells the fish in supermarkets and markets. The challenge for fishermen is finding the paiche in the vast Amazon. The fish prefers ? water and migrates when it feels threatened, leading fishermen to ? to remote areas by boat and canoe for up to two weeks. This has caused conflicts with indigenous communities who have land ? to the lagoons where ? are found. ? communities argue that they are protecting the resources they have a right to control, and commercial fishermen often face obstacles even with the correct paperwork. Juan Carlos Ortiz Chávez, a paiche fisherman from an indigenous community, explains that the new generation has established rules to prevent outsiders from taking their resources. Scientists like Federico Moreno hope that fishing, regardless of who is doing it, will help ? a balance between different species and keep paiche numbers in check.

1. What is your opinion on the introduction of the paiche fish in the Bolivian Amazon?
2. How would you feel if you were a fisherman and a new species of fish arrived that threatened the native fish stocks?
3. Do you think the paiche fish should be considered a threat to biodiversity in the Amazon? Why or why not?
4. How do you think the arrival of the paiche fish has affected the livelihoods of local fishermen in Bolivia?
5. What is your opinion on the indigenous communities' argument that they have the right to control the resources in their land?
6. How do you think the conflict between commercial fishermen and indigenous communities over the paiche fish can be resolved?
7. Do you think it is fair for indigenous communities to establish rules to prevent outsiders from taking their resources? Why or why not?
8. How do you think the introduction of the paiche fish has impacted the overall balance between different species in the Amazon?
9. What is your opinion on the idea that fishing, regardless of who is doing it, can help maintain a balance between different species?
10. How would you feel if you were a fisherman and had to travel to remote areas for up to two weeks in search of the paiche fish?
11. Do you like the idea of consuming the paiche fish? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the paiche fish could be better managed to protect native fish stocks in the Amazon?
13. Do you think the paiche fish should be considered a valuable resource for the local communities in Bolivia? Why or why not?
14. How do you think the paiche fish could be used to benefit both local communities and the preservation of native fish stocks?
15. What is your opinion on the role of scientists in managing the impact of the paiche fish in the Amazon?

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