Closed season in Goiás (state rule)
01/11 to 28/02GO
Allowed: Sport and guided fishing only in reservoirs, catch and release with barbless hooks (no keeping, transporting or eating). Subsistence: up to 5 kg per day, for household consumption only.
catalog
Gymnotidae · predator
electric eel
Electrophorus electricus
Freshwater
The Amazon's electric fish, with discharges reaching 860 volts. It is not a fishing species: learn to recognize it and keep your distance.
Also called: poraquê, puraquê, peixe-elétrico, enguia-elétrica, treme-treme
- common size
- 100–180 cm
- maximum
- 250 cm
- common weight
- 3–12 kg
- record/max.
- 20.0 kg
- depth
- 0.2–3 m
- ideal water
- 25–30 °C
overview
who is the electric eel
Elongated fish like an eel, but a relative of the tuviras, which breathes air and surfaces every few minutes. It gives weak discharges to orient itself and strong ones to hunt and defend itself. In 2019, a study split the poraquê (electric eel) into three species: Electrophorus electricus, from the Guiana Shield; E. voltai, from the rivers of the Brazilian Shield, with a measured discharge of 860 V; and E. varii, from the Amazon lowlands. In the field they are practically identical, and this entry applies to all three. It lives in calm, shallow waters, such as lagoons, igapós, swamps and igarapés, including near houses and docks. Accidents hit fishers and swimmers: the shock contracts the muscles and can knock the person into the water, and there is a record of drowning.
fun facts
- Breathes air through its mouth and must reach the surface; without it, it drowns.
- When threatened, it can leap and press its chin against the enemy to discharge the shock straight into it, a behavior described by Humboldt in 1800 and confirmed in the lab in 2016.
how to recognize it
identification
Cylindrical, very long body that can exceed 2 m, with no dorsal, pelvic or caudal fins; a long anal fin runs along almost the whole underside. Broad, flattened head, large mouth, small eyes. Dark grey to olive brown, with an orange to reddish throat in adults. The tuvira is much smaller, flattened on the sides and striped; the mussum is round-bodied but lacks the long anal fin.
how electric eel fishing looks
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.
distribution
open on the large map where found
Greater Amazonia. E. electricus in the strict sense lives in the rivers of the Guiana Shield (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, with possible records in Brazil and Venezuela); E. voltai, in the Brazilian Shield rivers that flow north (such as the Xingu, Tapajós and Tocantins); and E. varii, in the lowlands of the Amazon trough, including in Peru.
Habitat: Still, shallow water: lagoons, igapós, swamps, igarapés, dry-season pools and vegetated banks, often low in oxygen.
native to the basins
AmazonTocantins-Araguaia
states
Amazonas, Pará, Amapá, Roraima, Rondônia, Acre, Mato Grosso, Tocantins
when to fish
best season
time of yearbest: Aug–Oct
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
There is no fishing season. In the dry season, with shallow lagoons and pools, encounters become more likely: be careful when entering the water.
best time of day
Night and twilight. More active at night and at dusk; by day it hides in vegetation or on the shallow bottom.
what affects the electric eel
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Little relevance in the Amazon.
atmospheric pressure
Little known effect.
moon
Little known effect.
rain
High water spreads the fish through the flooded forest.
water level
In the dry season it gets trapped in shallow lagoons and pools, closer to people.
noise
Not very sensitive; does not flee easily.
wind
Little effect.
depth
Shallow, 0.2 to 2 m, rises to the surface to breathe.
how to fish
- rod
- not applicable: not a fishing species
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- not applicable
- line
- not applicable
- leader
- not applicable
- hook
- not applicable
accessories
- knife or long-handled pliers to cut the line
- closed footwear
tip from an angler
If you hook a poraquê by chance, don't pull it into the boat or touch the fish or the hook: cut the line as far from it as possible.
rules for the electric eel
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: Assessment of E. electricus in the strict sense. E. voltai is also Least Concern (LC, 2021) and E. varii has not been assessed. None of the three is on the national list (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026).
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
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.
Spawning closure (piracema) in the Araguaia River basin
01/11 to 28/02GOTOPAMT
Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with handline, rod, or spinning or baitcasting reel. Fish may only be eaten on site, not transported. Competitions prohibited. Subsistence: 3 kg + 1 fish. State rules (GO and TO) may be stricter.
Spawning closure (piracema) in the Tocantins and Gurupi river basins
01/11 to 28/02TOPAMAGO
Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with on-site consumption. Subsistence: 5 kg + 1 fish. State rules may be stricter.
Spawning closure (piracema) in Tocantins (state rule)
01/11 to 28/02TO
Allowed: In 2025/26: catch and release with barbless hooks and recreational fishing card; subsistence fishing on foot or from a rowboat, with simple pole or handline.
Source: Portaria Naturatins nº 244/2025 (2025/26 season); INIs MPA/MMA nº 12 and 13/2011
Closed season in the rivers of Marajó Island (PA)
01/01 to 30/04PA
Allowed: The same recreational-angler exceptions as in Portaria 48/2007 apply (handline or rod, 5 kg + 1 fish), unless a stricter state rule applies.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Closed season in the Amazon basin in Amapá
15/11 to 15/03AP
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.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Closed season in Roraima
01/03 to 30/06RR
Allowed: Subsistence fishing only.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Border rivers MT/RO and MT/PA
05/11 to 28/02MTROPA
Allowed: See the exceptions in Portaria 48/2007 and the state rules for each bank.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
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.
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.
Do not handle it. Cut the line from a distance, with a knife or long-handled pliers, and leave the hook. If someone gets an electric shock in the water, get the person out of the water, check that they are breathing and get medical care.
in the kitchen
Not applicable: handling it is dangerous.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00389, 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.
- scientific FishBase — Electrophorus electricus (ficha da espécie)Diagnosis after the 2019 revision, distribution restricted to the Guiana Shield, maximum size for the genus and country list (Brazil and Venezuela as possible occurrence). Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase — Electrophorus voltai e Electrophorus varii (fichas das espécies)Distribution of the other two poraquê species, both in Brazil (E. varii also in Peru and French Guiana), and the characters that separate them. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Electrophorus electricus (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 12/08/2020)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026 — Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is not on the list (checked against the text published in the DOU of 28/04/2026, section 1, p. 96).
- scientific de Santana, C. D. et al. (2019). Unexpected species diversity in electric eels with a description of the strongest living bioelectricity generator. Nature Communications 10: 4000.Split into three species and 860 V discharge in E. voltai. DOI checked on Crossref.
- scientific Haddad Júnior, V. et al. (2025). Two clinical records of human injuries with a death caused by electric eels Electrophorus spp. Gill, 1864. Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical 58: e00072025.Two accidents in Amapá, one fatal: the shock causes muscle rigidity and the victim probably drowned.
- scientific Catania, K. C. (2016). Leaping eels electrify threats, supporting Humboldt's account of a battle with horses. PNAS 113(25): 6979-6984.Leaping behavior with discharge against a threat.
