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fishing forecast

clarion angelfish

Holacanthus clarionensis · Pomacanthidae · omnivore

SeaIUCN global: VU · vulnerableessential profile

Angelfish of the reefs of the Mexican eastern Pacific, classified as vulnerable globally. It lives at oceanic islands and enters commercial fishing and the aquarium trade.

Also called: peixe-anjo-de-Clarión, ángel de Clarión, ángel, clarion angelfish

Scientific illustration of Clarion angelfish
maximum
20 cm
location

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period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

the species

everything about the clarion angelfish

overview

who is the clarion angelfish

Angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae, with a deep, compressed body, reaching 20 cm. It lives on reefs of the Mexican eastern Pacific, in southern Baja California and at the Clarion, Revillagigedo and Clipperton islands. Like other angelfishes, it stays on the reefs and does not migrate. It enters commercial fishing and the aquarium trade. Because it is globally vulnerable, whatever is hooked should be released quickly and carefully. At most 20 cm, it is smaller than the king angelfish and the Cortez angelfish.

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 clarion angelfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.

how to recognize it

identification

Deep-bodied, laterally compressed and disc-shaped, with a small mouth and a strong spine at the corner of the cheek, traits of angelfishes. It reaches 20 cm, much less than the king angelfish (Holacanthus passer), at 35.6 cm, and the Cortez angelfish (Pomacanthus zonipectus), at 46 cm. It lives on reefs of oceanic islands and southern Baja California.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

In the eastern Pacific it occurs only in Mexico: in southern Baja California and on the Clarion, Revillagigedo and Clipperton islands, on reefs.

Habitat: Reefs of the oceanic islands of the Mexican eastern Pacific and of southern Baja California.

what the law says

rules for the clarion angelfish

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.

Harmless to people, but it has a strong spine on the cheek. Because the species is vulnerable, release it quickly and carefully, with the fish in the water.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02951, b = 2.89; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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.

  1. scientific FishBase: Holacanthus clarionensis (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Holacanthus clarionensisNames by country and language.
don't confuse

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