Editing Arapaima (section)

===Fishing===
[[File:F de Castelnau-poissonsPl25.jpg|thumb|right|Skull from side and above]]

Wild arapaima are [[harpoon]]ed or caught in large nets. Since the arapaima needs to surface to breathe air, traditional arapaima fishermen harpoon them and then club them to death. An individual fish can yield as much as {{convert|70|kg|abbr=on}} of meat.

The arapaima was introduced for fishing in [[Thailand]] and [[Malaysia]]. Fishing in Thailand can be done in several lakes, where specimens over {{convert|150|kg|abbr=on}} are often landed and then released.

On 14 May 2020, a 30&nbsp;kg specimen was found floating in the river in Angkor Wat area, Krovanh village, Sangkat Norkor Thom, Siem Reap, [[Cambodia]]; the locals said it was a rare fish, and not commonly seen in this area.

With catch-and-release after the fish is landed, it must be held for 5 minutes until it takes a breath. The fish has a large blood vessel running down its spine, so lifting the fish clear of the water for trophy shots can rupture this vessel, causing death.