Colossoma macropomum
A major eater of Amazonian fruits and seeds and a mainstay of national fish farming. Since 2026 it is listed as Vulnerable on the national list.
Also called: tambaqui, ruelo (jovem)
Tambaqui is the largest scaled fish in the pacu and piranha family. In high water it enters the flooded forest and eats fruits and seeds that fall from trees, helping to spread those plants. In the dry season it lives in lakes and channels and feeds on zooplankton with its long gill rakers. It spawns at the start of high water, in schools that swim upriver. It was heavily fished and large specimens became rare in the wild; in 2026 it was listed as Vulnerable on the national list. In sport fishing it fights with brute force, and at fish farms it is among the most sought-after species. Nearly all tambaqui sold today comes from aquaculture.
Tall, rhomboid body. Adults have an olive-yellow upper half and a nearly black lower half and fins. Strong molar teeth. The adipose fin has rays, a detail only it has in the group. Pirapitinga is more silvery, has a smooth adipose fin, and juveniles have a red chest. Pacu is smaller and paler. Tambacu has intermediate traits.
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Solimões-Amazon channel and whitewater tributaries, várzea lakes, Madeira, Guaporé and Araguaia. Farmed across almost all of Brazil; farm escapes show up in rivers of other basins.
Habitat: Flooded forest and igapó in high water; várzea lakes, channels and rivers in the dry season. At fish farms, year-round.
native to the basins
states
Amazonas, Pará, Amapá, Acre, Rondônia, Roraima, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Goiás, Maranhão
In high water, March to June, it eats fruit in the igapó and responds to fruit baits. In the dry season it stays in lakes and channels. Fish farms work year-round, best in heat.
Daytime. Feeds by day, mainly when fruit is falling. At fish farms it feeds all day.
At fish farms in the South and Southeast, cold water shuts activity down.
Moderate effect.
Little effect.
Little effect; rain knocks fruit down and can get the fish going.
High water takes tambaqui into the flooded forest; find a tree with fruit falling.
Wary in its natural habitat; avoid noise under the trees.
Wind knocks fruit down and can help.
Surface and mid-water under fruit trees; channel bottom in the dry season.
lures
natural baits
accessories
In high water, tap the rod tip on the water under the fruiting tree to mimic falling fruit; this is the tapping technique (batida).
Pay-to-fish lakes with tilapia, tambacu and pacu, fishing from the bank with paste, feed and a feeder float. Great for families and for practice.
guideHow the charging works, the rules you will find, the lake fish (tilapia, tambacu, pacu), dough and feed, three rigs, the best times, and the etiquette for fishing without trouble with your neighbor.
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: Listed on the national list in April 2026, with a projected population decline of about 43% over three generations.
Throughout the Amazon River basin (main river, tributaries, lakes and reservoirs) it is banned to fish for, transport, store, process and sell tambaqui from October 1 to March 31. Fish from licensed aquaculture, with proof of origin, is allowed.
Ipaam enforces a 55 cm minimum capture size for tambaqui in Amazonas. The value is cited by the agency. Confirm the rule with the state agency (Ipaam).
Source: Ipaam (fishing control office), federal rule not confirmed
Tambaqui was listed as Vulnerable on the national list. For a newly listed species, capture, transport, storage and sale of wild specimens are banned 180 days after publication (end of October 2026), unless a Recovery Plan approved by the MMA authorizes sustainable use. Fish from licensed aquaculture falls outside the ban. The situation is changing: there is a request for a transition rule and a PDL in Congress. Confirm with the MMA or Ibama before fishing.
Source: Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026 (list) and Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026, art. 3º and art. 12
Annual tambaqui closed season across the Amazon basin. WARNING: from about Oct 25, 2026, catching wild tambaqui is banned all year across the country, as it is a threatened species (see "prohibitions").
Source: IN MMA nº 35/2005
The new national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026, DOU of Apr 28, 2026) classifies tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) as Vulnerable (VU). Under Portaria GM/MMA 1.666/2026 (art. 3), VU, EN and CR species receive full protection: catching, transport, storage, processing and sale are prohibited. For species that were not on the previous list, such as tambaqui, the bans start 180 days after publication (art. 12), that is, around Oct 25, 2026. Exceptions: fish from licensed aquaculture (art. 3, § 2) and incidental catch released alive immediately (§ 4). Bills in the Chamber seek to overturn the portarias (PDLs 352, 385 and 490/2026), which as of Oct 2026 were awaiting referral and have no effect. Note: outside the Amazon, tambaqui is an exotic species, and state rules (MS, GO) allow it with no limit; the federal portaria makes no such exception. If in doubt, release it and confirm with the environmental agency.
Source: Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026 (arts. 3º and 12) and Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026 (Annex I)
Section 10 of art. 19-A of Law 9.096/2009 absolutely prohibits fishing for any species that is, or comes to be, on official lists of threatened or overexploited species. This covers pintado (VU) and, from about Oct 25, 2026, tambaqui.
Source: Lei estadual MT nº 9.096/2009, art. 19-A, §10 (Lei nº 12.434/2024)
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.
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 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.
Allowed: Recreational fishing only in reservoirs, with on-site consumption. Subsistence: 5 kg + 1 fish. State rules may be stricter.
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
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
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
Allowed: Subsistence fishing only.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Allowed: See the exceptions in Portaria 48/2007 and the state rules for each bank.
Source: Portaria IBAMA nº 48/2007
Keep the fish in the water as long as possible, hold it by the base of the tail and support the belly. Watch the teeth: they bite hard.
One of Brazil's most flavorful fish: tambaqui ribs grilled over coals, roasted banda, fish stew. Prefer farmed tambaqui.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02239, b = 2.99; FishBase (bayesiano, espécie + forma do corpo da família)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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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.
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