Puerto Carreño Fishing Tourism

Fishing in Puerto Carreño

In 2022 and 2023 the constitucional assembly (politicians in Bogota) made sportfishing illegal unwittingly ruining the livelihoods of thousands of Colombians engaged in fishing tourism. It is a battle just heating up between animal rights activists, biologists, conservationists, national fisherman, international sportsmen, and our tourists especially in Puerto Carreño which is known as the capital of the famous Peacock Bass and Payara in Colombia. 

Seasoned fisherman paid as much as $5,000 per person and travel halfway around the world, could for a 10 day trip to check these two species off of their bucket list until 2023. There is still have some hope and local sports fisherman are keeping up the pressure to create exceptions in the new legislation for tourism which is a top priority for the government. The lawmakers did not take into consideration fishing culture as a pastime activity or recreational activity, but as a sport that causes a great degree of suffering for the animal most often resulting in death, making (catch and release) sportfishing a cruel practice.

Meanwhile sports fishing or gamefishing can only be conducted on international bodies of water (Pacific, Caribbean, Orinoco) from a boat and in stocked lakes that located are on private ranches. This is an issue the Tourism Council will stay on top of because visiting sports fisherman account for nearly 30% of Puerto Carreño's annual tourism revenue.