Genidens barbus · Ariidae · omnivore
The large white sea catfish of the South and Southeast. Endangered: catch only in SP and PR, with a 45 cm minimum.
Also called: bagre-branco, bagre-marinho, bagre
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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.
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
The white sea catfish is the large sea catfish of the South and Southeast, over 1 m. It lives in coastal waters and enters estuaries and lagoons, such as Lagoa dos Patos and the Paranaguá and Cananéia complexes, to breed. The male incubates the eggs in its mouth for weeks without eating, which limits offspring production. It grows slowly, lives more than 30 years and was heavily fished, so it is now Endangered on the national list. Today catch is only allowed in São Paulo and Paraná, for small-scale artisanal fishing and non-commercial fishing, with a minimum size. Watch the spines: they cause very painful wounds.
Large sea catfish, scaleless, with a flattened head and a visible granular bony plate on top. Three pairs of barbels (one on the maxilla and two on the chin). Serrated spines on the dorsal and pectoral fins, adipose fin and deeply forked tail. Blue-gray to brown back, white belly. Difference from smaller estuary catfish: the white sea catfish is over 50 cm and has a sturdier body.
From Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul, with the main populations in Lagoa dos Patos (RS), Paranaguá (PR) and Cananéia-Iguape (SP).
Habitat: Mud and sand bottoms in coastal waters, estuary channels, bays and coastal lagoons.
native to the basins
coast
states
Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul
It enters estuaries in spring and summer to breed. Respect the ordinance: outside SP and PR, targeted fishing is banned.
Nighttime. Feeds mainly at night and in murky water, rooting along the bottom.
Cold reduces activity in the shallows.
Not very sensitive.
Dark nights tend to produce more.
Likes murky water; even rain helps.
With more salt water in the estuary, it moves farther upstream; a river flood pushes it toward the inlet.
Not very sensitive.
Strong wind makes it hard to feel the bite on the bottom.
On the flood, it follows salt water into the channels; on the ebb, it waits at the exit. Fish with the tide running; at slack tide the bite weakens.
From 1 to 15 m in estuaries; down to 35 m at sea.
natural baits
accessories
Use a circle hook: the catfish swallows the bait, and the circle hooks at the corner of the mouth, making it easier to release small fish and those outside the permitted area.
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: Recovery plan for sea catfish; use allowed only in SP and PR (Portaria Interministerial 39/2018).
Genidens barbus is Endangered (EN). Outside the waters adjacent to São Paulo and Paraná, targeted fishing, transport, landing and trade are banned. A fish caught by chance must be released alive on the spot.
Source: Portaria Interministerial SG-PR/MMA nº 39/2018 (art. 2º); Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026 (EN)
In São Paulo and Paraná, catch is allowed only for small-scale commercial artisanal fishing (vessels up to 20 AB, gross tonnage) and non-commercial fishing, with a minimum total length of 45 cm. Targeted industrial fishing is banned. For this species, the rule replaces the 40 cm of IN MMA 53/2005.
Source: Portaria Interministerial SG-PR/MMA nº 39/2018 (art. 2º, § 1º)
Portaria 39/2018 requires respect for the catfish closed season set by Portaria SUDEPE nº N-42/1984, including a ban on transport and trade during that period. The dates have not been confirmed: check with the competent agency.
Source: Portaria SUDEPE nº N-42/1984, cited in Portaria Interministerial 39/2018
Use of the white sea catfish depends on the recovery plan for sea catfish. Portaria GM/MMA 1.666/2026 ordered the plans and measures to be reviewed; the earlier rules remain in force during the review.
Closed season for marine catfish (Genidens barbus, Netuma planifrons, Genidens genidens) in the Tramandaí River basin and estuary. White catfish (bagre-branco) is also a threatened species (EN): see "prohibitions."
Source: IN MMA nº 17/2004
Genidens barbus is EN on the national list. The recovery plan for marine catfish (Portaria MMA 127/2018) and PI SEAP-PR/MMA 39/2018 allow catching only in SP and PR waters, at a minimum of 45 cm, by artisanal fishing (boats up to 20 AB) and non-commercial fishing, respecting Portaria SUDEPE N-42/1984. In the rest of the country, catching is prohibited. The plan is under review (Portaria 1.666/2026, art. 11) and was still published on the MMA website in Oct 2026.
Source: PI SEAP-PR/MMA nº 39/2018; Portaria MMA nº 127/2018; Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026, art. 11
Source: PI SEAP-PR/MMA nº 39/2018 (catch only in SP and PR; EN species)
Extreme care with the spines: hold it with thick cloth behind the pectoral fins. A male with eggs or young in its mouth must go back into the water immediately.
Light, tasty meat, good in stew and moqueca. Can only be kept in SP and PR and above 45 cm.
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00413917, b = 3.07; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana, comprimento total); coeficiente a ajustado ao porte máximo registrado). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
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.
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations:
Your location is saved only on this device and feeds the forecast, the map and the "today" on the home page.
