Lutjanus cyanopterus
The largest red snapper on the coast, king of the rocky shores. Vulnerable: recreational anglers may only practise catch and release, with a closed season in August and September.
Also called: caranha
The cubera snapper (caranha) is the largest red snapper on the Brazilian coast, over 1.5 m and 50 kg. Juveniles live in mangroves and estuaries; adults occupy deep rocky shores, patch reefs, ledges and wrecks, down to about 70 m, and gather in aggregations to spawn. A nocturnal hunter of fish, squid and crabs, it is very wary and fights hard back into the rock. That makes it the great challenge of rocky-shore fishing in the Southeast. The species is Vulnerable on the national list and has a recovery plan: for recreational anglers, catch and release only, and no fishing during the August and September closed season. A large fish pulled from depth suffers barotrauma, so release needs technique and the right gear.
A large snapper, silver-grey to reddish-grey, without spots or marked stripes. Thick lips and strong canines. Difference from the dentão (dog snapper): the dentão is coppery, has a pale triangle under the eye and a conspicuous large canine. From the cioba: the cioba has a black spot on the flank and blue lines on the head. From the ariacó: the ariacó is small, pink with yellow stripes.
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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.
From Pará to Santa Catarina. In the Southeast and South it is a fish of rocky shores and islands (north coast of SP, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and the SC islands); in the Northeast, of reefs and wrecks.
Habitat: Deep rocky shores, islands, ledges, reef flats and wrecks; juveniles in mangroves and estuaries.
coast
states
Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina
In the Southeast, the most active season on rocky shores is summer, from December to March, with warm water. Legal closed season from August 1 to September 30.
Night and twilight. Hunts mainly at dusk and at night. By day it stays hidden or still in the shade of rocks.
Cold water (upwelling on the rocky shore) drives the cubera away from the shore.
Stable weather and the pre-frontal period are usually better.
Rocky-shore anglers prefer the new moon and dark nights; a full moon makes it more wary.
Rain doesn't bother it; lightning on the rocky shore is a real danger.
Surge on the rocky shore is a life-threatening danger; don't fish in heavy seas.
Very wary: a flashlight in the water, shadow and footsteps scare it. Fish quietly.
Strong onshore wind makes safe fishing on the rocky shore impossible.
It prefers current: on the rising tide it moves up to the corner of the rocky shore behind the bait; on the falling tide it stays at the mouths of crevices and channels. At slack the bite drops, but it can still strike at night.
On the rocky shore, 3 to 15 m; on patch reefs and wrecks, 20 to 70 m.
lures
natural baits
accessories
The cubera can only be released. Use a circle hook and lock the drag to pull it off the rock in the first metres. A fish brought up from more than 15 m depth goes back down with a descender.
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: Use only under the terms of the recovery plan (Interministerial Ordinance 59-C/2018).
Amateur and sport fishing for the cubera (caranha) is allowed only as catch and release, in all Brazilian waters. Targeted fishing, transport, landing and trade outside the ordinance's rules are prohibited. Underwater fishing is not compatible with catch and release.
Source: Portaria Interministerial SG-PR/MMA nº 59-C/2018 (art. 2º, § 2º)
Cubera fishing is prohibited from August 1 to September 30 throughout its range. Trade in the period only with stock declared to Ibama by August 10.
Source: Portaria Interministerial SG-PR/MMA nº 59-C/2018 (art. 5º); Ibama report 2026
Authorized commercial fishing may only retain, transport and sell cubera 50 cm or more in total length. It doesn't apply to recreational anglers, who must release all fish.
Source: Portaria Interministerial SG-PR/MMA nº 59-C/2018 (art. 3º)
The cubera is on the national list of threatened species (Vulnerable (VU)). Use is only allowed under the terms of the recovery plan; Ordinance GM/MMA 1.666/2026 ordered the plans and rules reviewed, and they remain in force during the review. Check whether there have been changes before fishing.
Source: Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026 and Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026 (art. 11)
Closed season for threatened reef fish whose use is regulated by the recovery plan (Portaria MMA 292/2018 and PI 59-C/2018). Period confirmed in the 2026 official closed-season calendar of Sema-BA. We could not read PI 59-C (sizes and recreational-angler rules). Black grouper (badejo-quadrado) moved to EN in the 2026 list, and the plan is under review.
Source: Portaria Interministerial SEAP-PR/MMA nº 59-C/2018; 2026 closed-season calendar of Sema-BA
Sirigado or badejo-quadrado (Mycteroperca bonaci, black grouper) moved from VU to EN on the 2026 list. Caranha (Lutjanus cyanopterus, cubera snapper) remains VU. Both have recognized use under Portaria MMA 292/2018, with rules in PI SEAP-PR/MMA 59-C/2018: closed season Aug 1 to Sep 30 and sizes we could not confirm. Because the black grouper moved up a category, the plan is under review (Portaria 1.666/2026, art. 11). If in doubt, release.
Source: Portaria MMA nº 292/2018; PI SEAP-PR/MMA nº 59-C/2018; Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026
Catch and release is mandatory for recreational anglers. A fish brought up from depth inflates its swim bladder: release it with a descender, without puncturing it. Don't lift a large fish by the mouth; support its body.
Recreational fishing is catch and release only. In regulated trade, the meat is white and firm.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01288, b = 2.98; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana, comprimento total)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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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.
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