Italian Jesuit priest Giovanni Gallo sold 12,000 piranhas from Marajó Island in 1972, turning a local fish into a lifeline for a flood‑prone community. The sale generated funds that later financed bridges, a runway, and a community dock.
Marajó, a 3,000‑km² island in Pará, remained isolated until the 1970s. Residents clung to wooden walkways that sagged during the rainy season, and the lack of roads left the town of Vila de Jenipapo without reliable access to markets or hospitals.
Gallo established a humble laboratory on the island, teaching women to preserve piranhas in jars and freeze them for export. A 2016 study notes that the women received a fair wage and that the process required meticulous handling to maintain the fish’s quality.
The export to Europe yielded roughly ₹2.5 billion in revenue for the community. The money paid for 350 m of timber bridges, an 800 m runway capable of handling small aircraft, a cemetery adapted for seasonal flooding, and a community dock that replaced a fragile wooden pier.
Beyond fish, Gallo collected archaeological fragments brought by locals, eventually founding the Museu do Marajó in 1984. The museum’s original displays—hand‑built “hillbilly computers” that let visitors manipulate artifacts—were a departure from conventional glass cases and reflected the community’s own knowledge systems.
Gallo died in Belém on March 7, 2003, aged 75, after three decades of service. His work, documented by IPHAN and the National Museums Registry, continues to shape Marajó’s infrastructure and cultural identity.