cururupu reentrancies — cururupu extractive reserve
Mangrove archipelagos in the Maranhão Reentrancies, protected by an extractive reserve. Yellow pescada, snook and serra (Spanish mackerel) with local fishers.
The Cururupu Extractive Reserve brings together archipelagos of islands, mangroves, igarapés (creeks) and beaches in the island zone of Cururupu, on the west coast of Maranhão, covering about 186,000 hectares, with a sea boundary 2 miles offshore. On islands such as Guajerutiua, Caçacueira, Bate-Vento and Lençóis, fishing communities live. The management plan cites snook and camurim (peva snook), yellow, white and cambuçu pescadas, serra, croaker and mullet among the species of economic importance. For visitors, fishing is done with the reserve's fishers, on their boats: it is an immersion trip, far from tourist infrastructure.
best season
End of the rains, June to August. From September to November strong winds make navigation hard; the rainy season runs from January to June.
Local rules: Cururupu Extractive Reserve (ICMBio): under the management agreement (Portaria ICMBio 122/2014), only registered beneficiary fishers' boats may fish in the reserve, and outside boats may use it only for shelter and resupply; no fishing gear is allowed at the heads of the igarapés. Gurijuba closed season Nov 17 to Mar 31 (Portaria Interministerial SG-PR/MMA 43/2018). Grouper: catch banned. Strong winds September to November. Check local rules.
- getting there
- From São Luís, ferry from Ponta da Espera to Cujupe and road to Cururupu, about 190 km in total; going around the bay by land, about 450 km. Boats to the islands leave from Cururupu, Pindobal (30 km) and Apicum-Açu (86 km).
- facilities
- Simple facilities in Cururupu and Apicum-Açu; on the islands, almost nothing beyond the communities. The management plan envisions community-based tourism.
- basin
- Western Northeast Atlantic
- coast
- North Coast
tip
Plan using the tide table and agree with the local fisher on the day's fishing spot: the channels between the islands change a lot between high water and low water.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
what you can catch here
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official ICMBio — Reserva Extrativista de Cururupu
- official ICMBio — Plano de Manejo da Reserva Extrativista Marinha de CururupuAccess, species of economic importance, zoning and management agreement (Portaria ICMBio 122/2014)
- official Ibama — Portaria Interministerial SG-PR/MMA nº 43/2018 (gurijuba)Gurijuba closed season Nov 17 to Mar 31
- official Imprensa Nacional (DOU) — Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026 (lista nacional de peixes ameaçados)Grouper (CR) and gurijuba (VU)