Lago Paranoá is a large artificial reservoir nestled within the urban landscape of Brasília, the capital of Brazil's Federal District. Created by damming the Rio Paranoá, the lake was filled in the late 1950s and early 1960s as part of the grand vision for the new capital city. What began as a flooded valley of cerrado vegetation has become one of the most productive and ecologically significant urban fisheries in all of Brazil. The lake sits at the heart of Brasília's recreational and cultural life, offering calm waters surrounded by the city's iconic modernist architecture and lush shoreline greenery. Its productivity is remarkable — biomass estimates suggest production exceeding 300 kg per hectare, placing Lago Paranoá among the most productive aquatic ecosystems when compared to both tropical and temperate reservoirs worldwide.