Fish, a vital part of life in the Amazon Fishing is the main source of income and food for riverside communities in the Amazon River Basin. In Brazil, the region's potential is as high as 1 million tons per year, the equivalent of half of the total fish production from the country's rivers and lakes.

The Amazon River is arguably the most biodiverse freshwater system on the planet, housing an astonishing array of aquatic life. As of 2026, scientists have identified over 2,500 distinct species of fish living within the Amazon basin, and new species are still being discovered every year in its more remote tributaries. The river is home to giants like the Arapaima (or Paiche), an air-breathing fish that can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh over 400 pounds. It also hosts the world's most famous toothy predators, the piranhas, which play a vital role in cleaning the river by scavenging. Other notable inhabitants include the massive Goliath Catfish, colorful Discus fish and Tetras popular in aquariums, and the unique electric eels capable of generating high-voltage shocks. The biodiversity of the Amazon is so vast that it contains more fish species than the entire Atlantic Ocean. This richness is due to the river's diverse habitats, ranging from flooded forests (igapós) to deep, muddy channels, all of which provide unique niches for evolution to flourish over millions of years.