pacific menhaden
Ethmidium maculatum
Savelha of the South American Pacific coast, forming large schools in coastal waters of Peru, Ecuador and Chile. It has commercial use and is sold fresh, frozen or canned.
Also called: savelha-do-pacífico, machuelo, machete, pacific menhaden
- maximum
- 31 cm
- depth
- 0–50 m
who is the pacific menhaden
A fish of the family Clupeidae, with a spindle-shaped, compressed body, reaching 31 cm and maturing at around 25 cm. It lives in coastal waters of the southeastern Pacific, from northern Peru to Chile, at depths of 0 to 50 m. It forms large schools and filters phytoplankton and zooplankton, mainly copepods, but also catches small fish and crustaceans. It spawns in spring, in Chile, with sticky eggs that attach to the coastal sand. It is commercially caught and sold fresh, frozen or canned.
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 pacific menhaden; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Spindle-shaped, compressed body, with scutes along the back and belly. The upper jaw has a notch in the middle. It has a dark spot behind the gill cover and up to four rows of vertical oval spots along the flank. The scales have a serrated rear edge, and the anal fin is short and set well behind the last dorsal ray.
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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.
where found
Southeastern Pacific of Latin America, from northern Peru to Chile, with a record in Ecuador, in coastal waters.
Habitat: Coastal waters, in large schools, 0 to 50 m.
rules for the pacific menhaden
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.
No recorded danger to anglers. A small schooling fish with delicate skin: handle it with a wet hand and return it to the water if you won't use it.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh, frozen or canned.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00692, b = 3.15; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). 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.
- scientific FishBase: Ethmidium maculatum (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Ethmidium maculatumNames by country and language.
