Cetorhinus maximus
The second-largest shark in the world, which feeds on filtered plankton near the surface. Critically endangered in Brazil: catching it is prohibited in the country, and if you hook one by accident, release it right away.
Also called: tubarão-peregrino, tiburón peregrino, basking shark
The basking shark is the second-largest shark in the world, of the family Cetorhinidae, with records of 1,220 to 1,520 cm. Its common size is 700 cm. It lives on continental and insular shelves, near the coast and in open ocean, and makes transoceanic migrations, covering 9,000 km or more. It feeds on zooplankton, which it filters near the surface in summer, in cold and temperate waters, and it descends to deeper waters in winter. It is ovoviviparous, with an estimated gestation of 12 to 36 months, and is believed to live up to 50 years. It is considered harmless, but potentially dangerous if attacked. In Brazil there are few records, in the Southeast and South.
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 basking shark.
Recognizable by its enormous gill slits, which nearly wrap around the head, and by the gill plates shaped like denticles that filter food. It has a pointed snout and an enormous mouth, somewhat below the tip of the snout, with tiny, curved teeth. The caudal peduncle has strong lateral keels, and the caudal fin is crescent-shaped. The body is blue-grey or grey-brown, with irregular white spots under the head and belly.
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.
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.
Cosmopolitan, of cold to temperate waters, and rare in equatorial waters. In Latin America there are records in Brazil (Southeast and South coast), Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico and Cuba.
Habitat: Surface waters of the shelf and open ocean, from the surface down to great depths.
coast
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: On the national list of threatened species as CR. Global IUCN assessment: EN.
The national list (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026) classifies the species as CR. Under Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026 (art. 3), VU, EN and CR species have full protection: catch, transport, storage, processing and trade are banned. If you hook one by accident, release it right away, with minimal handling.
Source: Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026, art. 3º, and Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026
Critically endangered species, protected in Brazil. Large and slow: never try to pull it out of the water or bring it aboard. If it gets tangled in the line or net, cut the line as close to the animal as you can and let it go. It is harmless, but can injure if attacked.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00389, b = 3.12; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
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.
Your location is saved only on this device and feeds the forecast, the map and the "today" on the home page.
