Effects of distance and co-sale with pirarucu on the prices of alternative commercial fish species in community-based management systems in the Brazilian Amazon

ABSTRACT Participatory co-management of pirarucu has been widely studied in the Amazon; however, there is little information on commercial species other than pirarucu itself. Economic theory and empirical evidence suggest that logistical constraints and commercialization strategies can significantly shape price formation in small-scale fisheries, influencing both fisher income and market efficiency. This study evaluates the effects of the joint sale of pirarucu with other species, the distance from the fishing grounds to the urban centers and type of fisher on the sale price of the alternative commercial species. We analyzed 71 records of commercial fish production, aggregated by species, year, and fishing agreement area, involving six economically important species in the Middle Solimões River (Amazonas, Brazil), using linear mixed models with species as a random effect. The distance from the communities to the urban centers varied from 19 to 120 km, while prices varied from US$ 0.25 to 2.26/kg, being higher for Colossoma macropomum and lower for Piaractus brachypomus and Cichla sp. We found that distance tended to increase fish prices, although the effect was only marginally significant. This pattern may reflect an indirect effect, as more remote fishing areas are associated with larger individuals, which usually command higher prices. Type of fisher and joint sales with arapaima did not show robust effects on price. These findings suggest that distance plays a modest but relevant role in price formation, providing preliminary evidence that logistical factors, particularly distance to urban centers, influence multi-species value chains under participatory co-management in the Amazon.