campeche porgy
Calamus campechanus
Shallow-water porgy of the Campeche Bank, Mexico, which also occurs in Nicaragua and is important as food.
Also called: peixe-pena-de-campeche, pluma campechana, campeche porgy
- maximum
- 21 cm
- depth
- 11–18 m
who is the campeche porgy
The Campeche porgy belongs to the family Sparidae and reaches 21 cm. It lives on the bottom, from 11 to 18 m, on the Campeche Bank, off Yucatán, Mexico. It also occurs in Nicaragua. It belongs to the genus Calamus, the porgies, which are relatives of the seabreams and marimbas and have compressed bodies and spiny dorsal fins. In Mexico it is known as pluma campechana. It is a small, shallow-water fish, commercially caught and important as food.
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 campeche porgy; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Small porgy with a compressed body and a spiny dorsal fin, typical of the genus Calamus. It lives in shallow waters, 11 to 18 m, on the Campeche Bank and in Nicaragua. It may be confused with the knobby porgy and the hunchback porgy, which also occur in Mexico, but those two reach greater depths, down to 90 and 59 m, and greater sizes, 54.4 and 46 cm.
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
In Latin America it occurs in Mexico, on the Campeche Bank, and in Nicaragua.
Habitat: Shallow waters, 11 to 18 m, on the Campeche Bank.
rules for the campeche porgy
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.
Not dangerous to anglers. It is a small fish and can be released right away.
in the kitchen
It is an important food fish.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02089, b = 2.95; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
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: Calamus campechanus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Calamus campechanusNames by country and language.
