Fish of the family Triportheidae, the river sardines, freshwater. Reaches 26.8 cm and can weigh up to 235 g. It lives in the Amazon basin and in coastal rivers of the Guianas, in Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Peru. It occurs in rivers and streams with little current. It is omnivorous: it eats fruit, seeds and insects that float on the water surface. It breeds in the rainy season. It has commercial use in fishing and is sold for aquariums. It is not dangerous to anglers.
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 sardinha-de-rio; in the meantime, see the similar species.
how to recognize it
identification
River sardine with a compressed, elongated body and a sharp keel-like belly, typical of the family Triportheidae. It can be confused with the papuda sardine and with Triportheus elongatus, which live in the same basins. To tell them apart, look at the location: this species is concentrated in the Amazon basin and in coastal rivers of the Guianas.
how sardinha-de-rio 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.
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.
It occurs in the Amazon basin and coastal rivers of the Guianas, in Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Peru.
Habitat: Rivers and small streams with little current.
native to the basins
Amazon
what the law says
rules for the sardinha-de-rio
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 Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance 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.
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.
It is not dangerous to anglers. Because it is small, return the fish to the water carefully.
calculator
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0166, b = 3.03; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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.
