catalog Clariidae · predator

african sharptooth catfish

Clarias gariepinus

Freshwaternon-native in Brazil

Exotic, invasive African catfish. Breathes air, tolerates foul water and eats just about anything. Caught at pay lakes and in rivers where it escaped.

Also called: bagre-africano, clarias

forecast for african sharptooth catfish where found

Scientific illustration of African sharptooth catfish

common size: 40–80 cm
maximum: 170 cm
common weight: 1–6 kg
record/max.: 60.0 kg
depth: 0.3–4 m
ideal water: 25–30 °C

overview

who is the african sharptooth catfish

African catfish brought into fish farming, now invasive in several Brazilian basins. It breathes air through a special organ, survives in water with almost no oxygen, and can even crawl over damp ground between puddles. Eats fish, amphibians, insects, scraps and feed, and preys on native species. That is why it is one of the most problematic exotics: releasing African catfish into a river, lagoon or reservoir without a license is an environmental offense. It grows large and fights hard. Caught at pay lakes and in rivers near fish farms, mostly at night.

fun facts

Breathes atmospheric air and survives for hours out of water in a damp place.
It can crawl over wet ground from one puddle to another.

how to recognize it

identification

Long, eel-like body, scaleless, grey-olive to marbled. Large, flattened, bony head, like a helmet. Four pairs of barbels. Very long dorsal and anal fins, without spines and without an adipose fin. Rounded tail. The jundiá has an adipose fin, a smaller body and three pairs of barbels. The trahira has scales.

how african sharptooth catfish fishing looks

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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.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

Exotic, native to Africa. Pay lakes and fish farms; invasive populations in rivers, lagoons and reservoirs of the South, Southeast, Northeast and Center-West.

Habitat: Still, warm, low-oxygen water: lagoons, swamps, canals, reservoirs, tanks and muddy slack water.

introduced in

ParanáParaguay (Pantanal)São FranciscoEast AtlanticSoutheast AtlanticSouth AtlanticUruguayEastern Northeast Atlantic

states

São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Bahia, Pernambuco, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás

calendar and clock

when to fish

best season

time of yearbest: Oct–Mar

JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Warm months. In winter in the South it is not very active.

best time of day

Nighttime. Hunts and feeds mainly at night; in murky water also during the day.

weather, water and behavior

what affects the african sharptooth catfish
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.

cold and cold fronts

Stops feeding in cold water.

atmospheric pressure

Little effect.

moon

Dark nights produce more.

rain

Small effect; rain may make it move between puddles.

water level

Floods spread the catfish into new habitats.

noise

Not very sensitive.

wind

No significant effect.

depth

Shallow bottom, 0.5 to 3 m.

technique, gear and bait

how to fish

Natural bait on the bottom Fishing pond Stillfishing

rod: 6' to 7', 15 to 30 lb
spinning / baitcasting reel: spinning reel 3000 to 4000 or baitcasting reel 200
line: monofilament 0.35 to 0.40 mm or braided 30 lb
leader: monofilament 50 lb (the plate-like teeth wear down the line)
hook: 2/0 to 5/0

natural baits

beef liver
heart
sardinha
piece of fish
minhocuçu
salsicha

accessories

alicate
cloth to grip (smooth, slippery skin)

tip from an angler

At night, liver or fish bait on the bottom, in still, warm water. Strike firmly: the mouth is hard.

guide

catch and release done right

Releasing only counts if the fish survives. Right gear, little time out of water, proper handling, the right hook, care with barotrauma and revival against the current.

what the law says

rules for the african sharptooth catfish

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: Considered invasive, with an impact on native fish and amphibians.

Releasing it into the natural environment without a license is an offense

releasing or introducing fish into rivers, reservoirs and lakes is prohibitedSPMGPRSCRSBAPEMSGOconfirm with the agency

Introducing an exotic species, or one outside its natural range, without a technical opinion and a license is a federal environmental offense. This includes releasing a fish from a tank, pay lake or aquarium into a river or reservoir. In MG, the IEF states that stocking without a license is prohibited.

Source: Lei federal nº 9.605/1998, art. 31, and Decreto federal nº 6.514/2008, art. 25

MT: introducing an exotic species without a license carries a fine

fine of R$6,000 to R$100,000MT

Mato Grosso's fishing law penalizes anyone who introduces native, exotic or non-native species without authorization from the environmental agency, with a surcharge per kilogram or per fish.

Source: Lei estadual MT nº 9.096/2009, art. 46 (as amended by Lei nº 12.197/2023) - Sema-MT

MS: African catfish outside the native-fish limit

specimens may be added to the limit, subject to the closed seasonMS

In MS, African catfish is on the list of exotic, allochthonous and hybrid species whose specimens may be added to the angler's limit (1 native + 5 piranhas), subject to the closed season.

Source: Decreto estadual MS nº 15.166/2019, art. 7º (list expanded by Decreto nº 15.375/2020) - Semadesc/Imasul

PR: exotics allowed; returning them to the water is restricted

exotics may be caught freely; confirm the release rulePRParanáSoutheast Atlanticconfirm with the agency

In PR, non-native fish may be caught in the interior basins. Portaria IAT 650/2025 sets a rule on releasing non-natives, with an exception for catch-and-release events aimed at them. Confirm with IAT before returning the fish to the water.

Source: Portaria IAT nº 650/2025 (fishing in the interior basins of PR; replaced Portarias IAT 177/2025 and 223/2025) - Instituto Água e Terra

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.

Exotic invader: do not return it to natural environments where local rules allow killing it. Never transport it alive.

in the kitchen

White, boneless and firm meat; good fried or smoked.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

total length (cm)

Length-weight relationship W = a·L^b (a = 0.00776, b = 2.97; FishBase). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

estimated weight

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sources and references

The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.