Jungle Fish

Three Fishermen, 400 Pounds of Fight: New “Jungle Fish” Film Ties Monster Fish to the Fate of a Culture

For decades, the native peoples of Guyana have struggled for economic independence. Poverty and illiteracy have forced many of the adults into a life of lawlessness and poaching while their children often flee the country to seek work in Brazil's dangerous mines. 

But hope might be prowling in Guyana's rivers in the form of the largest freshwater fish in the world, the arapaima. Follow three expert fishermen as they undertake on a two-week voyage deep into the heart of Guyana's rainforest. 

Their mission: to demonstrate that the arapaima can be caught with a fly rod. If they succeed, it will prove that the country's fledgling sports fishing industry is viable. 

And that will mean a brighter future for the native peoples, the rainforest they call home -- and the endangered arapaima itself.