pacific pompano
Peprilus simillimus
Silvery butterfish of coastal schools, reaching 28 cm. It lives in shallow Pacific waters as far as Mexico, and now and then turns up on the line.
Also called: peixe-manteiga-prateado, palometa plateada, Pacific pompano
- maximum
- 28 cm
- depth
- 9–91 m
who is the pacific pompano
The family Stromateidae includes the butterfishes, with a short, deep, laterally compressed body. This species reaches 28 cm and occurs in the northeastern Pacific, from British Columbia, in Canada, to southern Baja California and the Gulf of California, in Mexico. It lives close to the coast, on sandy bottoms of exposed shores and in shallow waters, from 9 to 91 m. It forms small schools, sometimes very dense. It is commercially caught and, now and then, turns up on the line of anglers who use rods.
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 pompano; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Forms small schools, sometimes very dense, near the coast.
identification
Short, deep, laterally compressed body, with an iridescent green or blue sheen on the back and silver on the belly. The fins are darker. Like other butterfishes, it has no pelvic fins. It is usually seen in small schools, near the beach, over sandy bottoms, in shallow waters from 9 to 91 m.
Loading the next 7 days…
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
Occurs in the northeastern Pacific, from British Columbia (Canada) to southern Baja California and the Gulf of California, in shallow coastal waters. In Latin America it is recorded from Mexico. There are no records off the Brazilian coast.
Habitat: Sandy bottoms near the coast, in shallow waters from 9 to 91 m.
rules for the pacific pompano
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.
Harmless to anglers. Being a shallow-water schooling fish, release it quickly and with little handling.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01259, b = 3.11; 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: Peprilus simillimus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Peprilus simillimusNames by country and language.
