cornetfish
Fistularia tabacaria
Elongated, flattened fish with a tube-shaped snout, which hunts small fish on reefs and rocky bottoms. It turns up now and then on the line and is considered a sport fish.
Also called: agulhão-trombeta, trombeta, corneta, trumpetfish
- maximum
- 200 cm
- record/max.
- 0.3 kg
who is the cornetfish
The cornetfish belongs to the family Fistulariidae, with a long, flattened body and a snout shaped like a tube. It reaches 200 cm and lives alone in seagrass meadows, reefs and hard, rocky bottoms, down to 200 m. It occurs in the western Atlantic, from Bermuda and southern Canada to Brazil, and also in the eastern Atlantic, from Cape Blanco and Cape Verde to Angola. It eats fish and small crustaceans. In fishing, it turns up on the line now and then.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the cornetfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- It lives alone, without forming schools.
identification
Long, flattened body, brown on top and paler below, with a row of blue dots from the snout to the dorsal fin and blue dots on the snout. The snout is tube-shaped and has no barbel at the tip of the chin. The central tail rays are elongated into filaments. It looks like the red cornetfish (Fistularia petimba), which is reddish and has a row of bony plates along the middle of the back.
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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.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Western Atlantic, from Bermuda and southern Canada to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and the coast of Central America.
Habitat: Seagrass meadows, reefs and hard, rocky bottoms, down to 200 m.
coast
rules for the cornetfish
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
It has no spines or venom and poses no danger to people. When releasing it, hold it by the body, not by the tube-shaped snout.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00065, b = 3.02; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Fistularia tabacaria (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Fistularia tabacariaNames by country and language.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026: Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
