peruvian banded croaker
Paralonchurus peruanus · Sciaenidae · predator
Croaker of the sandy bottoms and bays of the Pacific, from Panama to northern Chile, common in local markets.
Also called: pescada-bandeada, coco, chula, peruvian banded croaker
- maximum
- 51 cm
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.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
—
hour by hour
tap or drag on the chart to read each hour · on a keyboard, arrow keyssee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
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 peruvian banded croaker
who is the peruvian banded croaker
The banded croaker is a fish of the family Sciaenidae that lives near the bottom in the eastern Pacific, on sandy beaches and in bays, from Panama to northern Chile. It reaches 51 cm, with a common size of 30 cm. It lives from 10 m deep. It has an elongated body, with an arched back and small barbels on the chin. Its mouth is small and turned downward, which suits feeding on the bottom, mainly on worms and other invertebrates. It appears often in local markets and is used in commercial fishing and in the trade in aquarium fish.
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 peruvian banded croaker; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Elongated body, with an arched back, dark and silvery in color. The flank bands are faint, and the fins are dark. The striped croaker (Paralonchurus dumerilii), which lives on the same coast as far as Central America, has very clear bands and pale fins, which helps tell them apart. The edge of the preopercle is smooth, and the chin has small barbels, other marks to check.
where found
Eastern Pacific, from Panama to northern Chile, on sandy beaches and in bays, with records in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
Habitat: Sandy bottoms of beaches and bays, from 10 m deep.
rules for the peruvian banded croaker
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.
No danger to anglers. It is a bottom fish: release with care any individuals you do not keep.
in the kitchen
Sold in local markets.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00776, b = 3.11; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
—
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.
- scientific FishBase: Paralonchurus peruanus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Paralonchurus peruanusNames by country and language.
similar species
where 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: