overview
who is the argentine silverside
Slender, silvery fish of the La Plata plains. It lives in schools in the mid-water of shallow lagoons, farm ponds, reservoirs and canals, in fresh to slightly brackish water. It eats zooplankton, insects and, when large, small fish. It spawns in spring, sticking its eggs to aquatic vegetation. In the lagoons of Buenos Aires province it is the target of a traditional fishery, done with a series of small floats and fine hooks, mostly in autumn and winter. It was carried to Chile and Lake Titicaca, where it established itself and supports an artisanal fishery, but it competes with native fish. In Brazil it occurs naturally in the Mirim Lagoon system in RS, where it is called peixe-rei. Its mouth is delicate: use light tackle and a gentle hookset.
fun facts
- The Buenos Aires closed season from September to November coincides with spawning, when the fish stick their eggs to vegetation.
- In Lake Titicaca, at 3,800 m above sea level, the introduced pejerrey became an artisanal fishery species.
- Matures at 1 to 2 years and lives short: FishBase records a maximum age of 4 years.
how to recognize it
identification
Elongated, slender body, bluish to greenish-brown back and silvery flanks. A wide silver band, with a dark-blue upper edge, runs from the pectoral fin to the tail. Two small, separate dorsal fins, long anal fin, small protractile mouth. Other peixe-rei of the genus Odontesthes in RS and in the Patos Lagoon estuary look very similar; a reliable separation requires counting scales and rays.
how argentine silverside fishing looks
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