Scavenging catfish from the Amazon, whose fishing and sale are banned in Brazil. The moratorium exists to protect river dolphins (botos) and caimans, killed to serve as bait in fishing for this species.
Also called: piracatinga, pintadinha, douradinha, urubu-d'água, piranambu
Medium-sized catfish, up to about 40 cm, from whitewater rivers of the Amazon and Orinoco. It mostly eats dead animals and attacks fish caught in nets, longlines and hooks, which is why it is called urubu-d'água (water vulture). Commercial fishing grew and began using carcasses of pink river dolphin, tucuxi and caimans as bait, which led to killing these animals. That is why Brazil has banned, since 2015, fishing, keeping, landing, transporting and selling the piracatinga. The current rule dates from 2023 and has no end date: it can be reviewed based on research, but without enough data the ban stays. Colombia, where the fish is sold as mota, also bans catching it in the Amazon and Orinoquía and selling it nationwide.
fun facts
It is called urubu-d'água (water vulture) because it eats carrion.
Portaria MPA nº 532/2025 keeps piracatinga, urubu-d'água and douradinha as official trade names, even though sale is banned.
how to recognize it
identification
Stout catfish with a short, broad head, large mouth with strong teeth and long maxillary barbels. Back and flanks grey-yellowish to golden, with scattered dark spots, hence the names pintadinha and douradinha; pale belly. Long adipose fin. Looks like a large mandi, but has a shorter, broader head and small spots scattered rather than in rows.
how zamurito fishing looks
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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.
Whitewater rivers and várzea lakes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.
Habitat: Channels and banks of whitewater rivers, várzea lakes and places with fish scraps, such as docks and floating platforms.
native to the basins
Amazon
states
Amazonas, Pará, Acre, Rondônia, Roraima
calendar and clock
when to fish
best season
time of year
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
No season: fishing and sale banned in Brazil. The weights only indicate that it can bite bottom baits all year round.
best time of day
Night and twilight. More active at night and at dusk, hunting carrion.
weather, water and behavior
what affects the zamurito
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Little effect.
atmospheric pressure
Little effect.
moon
Little known effect.
rain
Little effect.
water level
In the dry season it concentrates in the channel and near docks.
noise
Not very sensitive.
wind
Little effect.
depth
Bottom and mid-water.
technique, gear and bait
how to fish
rod
not applicable: fishing banned in Brazil
spinning / baitcasting reel
not applicable
line
not applicable
leader
not applicable
hook
barbless circle hook makes release easy if it bites by chance
accessories
pliers for release
tip from an angler
Bottom fishing in the Amazon with fish bait, it may bite. Release it right away, while still in the water.
what the law says
rules for the zamurito
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: Not on the national list of threatened species (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026), but it has a fishing and trade moratorium in Brazil to protect the botos and caimans used as bait.
Brazil: fishing and trade banned (moratorium)
fishing, retention, landing, storage, transport, processing and trade bannedAmazon
Throughout Brazil, it is forbidden to fish, retain, land, store, transport, process or sell piracatinga. Exceptions: authorized research and subsistence fishing of up to 5 kg to feed the fisher and family. The ban can be reviewed with scientific data; without them, it stays. Violators answer under Lei 9.605/1998 and Decreto 6.514/2008.
piracema closures in the basins where the species lives
Spawning closure (piracema) in Mato Grosso (all basins)
01/10 to 31/01MT
Allowed: All fishing modalities are prohibited in rivers, including catch and release (Law 9.096/2009, art. 19-A). Exceptions: subsistence fishing from shore (3 kg or 1 fish, no transport or sale) and scientific fishing. Law 13.159/2025 now allows licensed sport fishing in UHE/PCH hydropower reservoirs, natural lakes and border rivers, subject to a scientific study and a license from the environmental agency. We have not confirmed whether these licenses are already being issued.
Allowed: Recreational anglers with handline or rod, line and hook are outside the Annex II prohibitions, with a bag limit of 5 kg + 1 fish, unless a stricter state rule applies.
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.
Required in Brazil: release it alive on the spot, preferably without taking it out of the water.
in the kitchen
Not applicable: fishing and sale banned in Brazil, except subsistence fishing of up to 5 kg.
calculator
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00692, b = 3.12; FishBase). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
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.
