bigbelly sea catfish
Cathorops dasycephalus
Eastern Pacific sea catfish, common in the coastal waters of Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador. Its spines wound the angler, and its flesh is sold fresh.
Also called: bagre-barrigudo, bagre barrigón, bigbelly sea catfish
- maximum
- 36 cm
- record/max.
- 0.4 kg
who is the bigbelly sea catfish
Fish of the family Ariidae that lives near the bottom in marine and brackish waters of the Pacific coast. It is common in coastal waters and reaches 36 cm total length and 393 g. It is caught with artisanal gear, and the flesh is sold fresh in markets. Like other sea catfish, it has no scales and has spines in the fins, which wound anyone handling it. For the sport angler, it is an occasional catch along the coast, not prominent in rod fishing.
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 bigbelly sea catfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Elongated, scaleless catfish with barbels around the mouth and fin spines, like all sea catfish of the family Ariidae. It lives in coastal waters, but that is not enough to identify it. Cathorops tuyra, from the same coast, is its closest look-alike, and telling the two apart depends on detailed examination.
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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
It occurs in the eastern Pacific, in coastal and brackish waters of Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador.
Habitat: Near the bottom, in coastal and brackish waters.
rules for the bigbelly sea 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.
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.
The fin spines wound: use a cloth or glove, remove the hook with pliers, and release the fish with care.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh in markets.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00513, b = 3.16; 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: Cathorops dasycephalus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Cathorops dasycephalusNames by country and language.
