the right time
to be on the water
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.
Loading the forecast…
—
hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
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.
trend for the coming weeks
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.
everything about the blacknose shark
how to recognize it
Small to medium shark, with a fusiform body, grayish brown above and pale below. Its mark is the dark spot on the tip of the snout, which gives it its English name, blacknose. It resembles other small Carcharhinus sharks, such as the blacktip shark (galha-preta) and the night shark (tubarão-noturno); the snout spot helps tell it apart. When in doubt, release it.
Also called: cação-corta-garoupa
don't confuse with:
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Continental and island shelves, from 9 to 64 m, over sand, shell, and coral bottoms.
Western Atlantic, from North Carolina (USA) to southern Brazil and Uruguay, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean (FishBase: 40°N to 37°S). In Brazil, the species occurs along the coast, on the shelf. In Latin America, FishBase lists it from Mexico and the Caribbean to Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, and Uruguay.
coast
when to fish
best season
Estimate: present all year on the shelf; the weights are neutral. Catch is banned all year.
best time of day
Any time. There is no reliable data on the activity schedule in Brazil.
what affects the blacknose shark
cold and cold fronts
A warm-water species; cold water pushes the shark out of the shallows.
atmospheric pressure
Little known effect.
moon
No known effect.
rain
Heavy rain muddies coastal water; the shark usually moves away.
water level
Not applicable at sea.
noise
Not well known.
wind
Rough seas make any trip hard.
tide
The tide moves food in channels and sandbanks.
depth
From 9 to 64 m.
how to fish
tip from an angler
If a blacknose shark is hooked by chance while bottom fishing, keep it in the water and cut the leader close to the hook. On sand and shell bottoms, a barbless circle hook comes out more easily.
- rod
- Catch banned in Brazil; there is no recommended gear for targeting the species.
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- Not applicable.
- line
- Not applicable.
- leader
- Not applicable. If a shark takes the steel leader, cut close to the mouth when releasing it.
- hook
- Barbless circle hook (or one with the barb flattened) for any open-sea fishing: it comes out more easily and causes less injury.
accessories
- cutting pliers
- long-handled hook remover
- thick gloves
catch and release
This is not catch and release: it is release of an accidental catch. Keep the shark in the water and cut the line as close to the hook as possible. Don't lift it by the tail or take photos out of the water.
rules for the blacknose shark
Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Threatened species in Brazil: catch banned
full protection details
The national list (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026) classifies the species as VU. Under Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026 (art. 3º), VU, EN and CR species have full protection: catch, transport, storage, processing and sale are banned. If you hook one by accident, release it at once, handling it as little as possible.
Source: Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026, art. 3º, and Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026
Finning prohibited: shark only whole, with its fins
fins naturally attached to the body details
In Brazil, finning is banned: cutting off the fins and discarding the rest of the body. The rule covers landing, transport, and trade by fishing vessels: every shark or ray must arrive whole, with its fins naturally attached to the body (partially folding them against the body is allowed); carrying an animal aboard without fins or with loose fins, and transferring sharks and rays between vessels, is prohibited. This does not authorize catching this species, which is banned.
Mexico: no more than 1 shark per angler per day
1 specimen per angler per day (counts as 5 against the quota of 10) details
In recreational sport fishing in Mexican saltwaters, the limit for sharks is one specimen per angler per day, which counts as five toward the total limit of ten fish. Fish caught in sport fishing may not be sold. Catch and release does not count toward the limit: prefer releasing.
Colombia: marine sharks and rays are not fishery resources
commercial or sport extraction not permittedconfirm with the agency details
In 2021 Colombia stopped considering sharks and marine rays a fishery resource and began treating them as a hydrobiological resource; the recitals of Decree 281/2021 state that they may not be extracted for commercial or sport purposes, and the decree created an environmental protection plan. Later AUNAP rules dealt with incidental catch in artisanal fishing; we did not check the consolidated text. When in doubt, release it into the water.
Panama: shark finning banned in its jurisdictional waters
banned: cutting off the fins and throwing the body back into the sea details
Law 9 of 2006 bans finning in Panama's jurisdictional waters. The law's definition of shark fishing covers directed or incidental catch by artisanal, commercial, industrial and sport vessels. The fine for artisanal fishing reaches 1,000 balboas, without prejudice to criminal liability. In the sources we checked, we did not find a specific Panamanian rule on retention or release for sport anglers.
Conservation: On the national list of threatened species as VU, in force since May 22, 2023 (Portaria MMA nº 354/2023). Global: Endangered (EN, assessed by IUCN on Jul 1, 2019). The whole family Carcharhinidae has been in CITES Appendix II since Nov 25, 2023.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
estimated weight
—
how we calculate
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00525, b = 3.08; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
more about the blacknose shark
The blacknose shark (cação-corta-garoupa) is a small to medium shark of the continental and island shelves of the western Atlantic, from North Carolina (USA) to southern Brazil and Uruguay, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. It usually lives between 9 and 64 m, over sand, shell, and coral bottoms. It eats small fish, such as sargos and porcupinefish, and is prey for larger sharks. The female has 3 to 6 pups per litter. Near divers, it adopts a threat display, with an arched back, low tail, and raised head. It is Vulnerable (VU) on the national list, where it was added in 2023, and Endangered (EN) in the IUCN global assessment (2019). Do not seek out this species.
Family: Carcharhinidae · predator
fun facts
- Near divers, it arches its back, raises its head and lowers its tail, the "hunchback" posture that FishBase reads as a possible threat.
- It feeds on small fish, such as porgies and spiny pufferfish, and is prey for larger sharks.
- Each female has 3 to 6 pups per litter, according to FishBase.
- It was added to the national list by Portaria MMA nº 354/2023, in force since May 22, 2023.
in the kitchen
Catch and trade are banned in Brazil. In other countries it is used salted and dried (FishBase). Under the national list, release it.
similar species
sources and references (11)
The seasonal 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 field experience from anglers and guides. The water temperature range and the common size range are also editorial estimates, supported by FishBase. The months show when an angler usually finds the species, not a catch season. They are not official data or measurements made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
- scientific FishBase: Carcharhinus acronotus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight relationship, depth, habitat, distribution, biology and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026. The common size range follows FishBase's maturity range (87 to 137 cm); FishBase does not give a common length. We do not give a common weight: by the length-weight relationship, the weight of the common size range would exceed the maximum weight published by FishBase.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Carcharhinus acronotusNames by country and language.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026: Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
- official Instrução Normativa Interministerial MPA/MMA nº 14, de 26 de novembro de 2012: desembarque, transporte, armazenamento e comércio de tubarões e raias (proibição do finning)Text of Sislegis/MAPA (DOU of Nov 28, 2012), checked 13/10/2026.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666, de 27 de abril de 2026: regras de proteção das espécies ameaçadas da lista nacionalArt. 3: full protection of VU, EN and CR species; § 4: incidental catch with immediate release of the live animal.
- official Portaria MMA nº 354, de 27 de janeiro de 2023 (art. 3º inclui Carcharhinus acronotus como VU, em vigor desde 22/05/2023)Text checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- official México: Modificación a la NOM-017-PESC-1994 (pesca deportivo-recreativa), DOFOfficial text in the Diario Oficial de la Federación (DOF); items 4.9, 4.10 and 4.11 checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- official Colômbia: Decreto 281 de 2021 (proteção e conservação de tubarões, raias marinhas e quimeras), Gestor Normativo da Função PúblicaRecitals and Section 27 checked on Oct 13, 2026. Later AUNAP changes on incidental catch were not checked.
- official Panamá: Lei nº 9 de 2006, que proíbe o aleteo de tubarões nas águas jurisdicionais (Gaceta Oficial 25.506)Scanned copy of the Official Gazette on FAOLEX; partial reading due to scanning faults. Arts. 1, 2 and 13 checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- official Fiperj: Peixes cartilaginosos marinhos ameaçados de extinção (Portarias GM/MMA 1.666 e 1.667/2026), atualizado em 11/05/2026Poster from the Fundação Instituto de Pesca do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. The name "cação-corta-garoupa" comes from it; the poster also uses "cação-lombo-preto" for this species, the same name it gives the silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), so we do not list it.
- official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Amendments adopted at CoP19 entered into force on November 25, 2023 (CITES Notification 2023/137)US wildlife service bulletin: all species of the family Carcharhinidae moved to CITES Appendix II on Nov 25, 2023. Checked on Oct 13, 2026; the text of the Appendices on the CITES website was not opened.
how we calculatewhere each number comes from
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.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
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: