chili sea catfish
Notarius troschelii
Sturdy sea catfish, reaching 70.6 cm and 3.3 kg, with spines that wound. It lives in coastal waters of the Americas' Pacific, from Mexico to Peru, and is sold fresh.
Also called: bagre-chili, bagre chili, bagre alijora, chili sea catfish
- maximum
- 71 cm
- record/max.
- 3.3 kg
who is the chili sea catfish
Fish of the family Ariidae, a sturdy, flattened sea catfish reaching 70.6 cm and 3.3 kg. It lives in coastal and brackish waters, near the bottom, and may be restricted to the sea. It occurs in the eastern Pacific, from Mexico to Peru, with presence in Central America, Colombia and Ecuador. It has a prominent snout, a large mouth and wounding spines. In angling, it is a commercial catch with no prominent sport value. It is sold fresh.
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 chili sea catfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Sturdy, flattened body, with a prominent snout and large mouth. The head plate is granular and striated, and the teeth are small, in wide bands. To separate it from the sculpted catfish, look at the head and mouth: here the snout is prominent and the mouth large; in the sculpted catfish, the head is narrow and flattened and the snout is narrow.
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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
In the eastern Pacific, from Mexico to Peru, with presence in Central America, Colombia and Ecuador.
Habitat: Coastal and brackish waters, on the bottom, near the shore.
rules for the chili 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. Hold it carefully, with a cloth or glove, when removing the hook.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00708, b = 3.09; 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: Notarius troschelii (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Notarius troscheliiNames by country and language.
