congo sea catfish
Cathorops fuerthii
Small catfish, reaching 31 cm, from rivers, estuaries and sea of the Americas' Pacific, from Mexico to Ecuador. It has spines that wound and is sold fresh.
Also called: bagre-congo, bagre congo, congo sea catfish
- maximum
- 31 cm
- record/max.
- 0.3 kg
who is the congo sea catfish
Fish of the family Ariidae, a small catfish reaching 31 cm. It lives in fresh, brackish and marine water, in rivers, bays and estuaries that empty into the Pacific, from Mexico to Ecuador. It is a bottom catfish, with strong spines that wound, and it has a commercial fishery. It has little prominence in sport fishing. The head has barbels, and the body is scaleless, as in the whole family. 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 congo sea catfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Scaleless, elongated catfish with barbels and strong spines on the dorsal and pectoral fins, like sea catfish in general. Because it is small, reaching 31 cm, it is much smaller than the barbudo sea catfish, which reaches 95 cm. It can live in fresh, brackish or salt 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.
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
Americas' Pacific, from Mexico to Ecuador, in rivers and estuaries that empty into the Pacific, including Central America and Colombia.
Habitat: Rivers, estuaries and coastal areas, from fresh to salt water.
rules for the congo 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 dorsal and pectoral spines wound. Handle it with care.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00741, b = 3.07; 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 fuerthii (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 fuerthiiNames by country and language.
