pacific bearded brotula
Brotula clarkae
Elongated fish of the eastern Pacific, with barbels on its snout and chin. It shows up now and then in catches and is of little commercial importance.
Also called: brótula-do-pacífico, brótula de Clark, congrio rosado, Pacific bearded brotula
- maximum
- 115 cm
- depth
- 40–75 m
who is the pacific bearded brotula
The Pacific brotula is an elongated fish of the family Ophidiidae, covered in small, overlapping scales. It lives in the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California, in Mexico, to Peru. Adults are usually between 40 and 75 m, on mud and broken-shell bottoms, but the species reaches 650 m. It reaches 115 cm in length, and its common size is 45 cm. Juveniles are common on reefs, and smaller, silvery specimens are found far from the coast, in the open sea. It has little commercial importance and shows up now and then in catches.
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 pacific bearded brotula; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- The eggs are pelagic and float in a gelatinous mass.
- Juveniles are common on reefs.
identification
Elongated body, covered in small, overlapping scales, with barbels on its snout and chin, which helps identify it. The dorsal and anal fins are long and reach almost to the tail, as in other fish of the family. Smaller specimens are silvery; adults stay on the bottom, on mud and shells. In Peru, the name congrio rosado is also used for the red cusk-eel (Genypterus chilensis): the barbels help tell them apart.
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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 Latin America it occurs in the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California, in Mexico, to Peru, including Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador.
Habitat: Mud and shell bottoms, generally from 40 to 75 m, but it can reach 650 m.
rules for the pacific bearded brotula
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.
It has no spines or venom. Since it is a bottom fish, release it carefully: specimens brought up from great depth can suffer barotrauma.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00355, b = 3.13; 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: Brotula clarkae (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Brotula clarkaeNames by country and language.
