porkfish
Anisotremus virginicus · Haemulidae · predator
Reef fish striped yellow and silvery blue, with two black bands on the head. Common on rocky shores and offshore reefs.
Also called: salema, salema-branca, frade, mercador, ferrugem
- common size
- 20–30 cm
- maximum
- 40 cm
- common weight
- 0.1–0.5 kg
- record/max.
- 0.9 kg
- depth
- 1–40 m
- ideal water
- 23–28 °C
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…
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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 porkfish
who is the porkfish
The porkfish is a haemulid of reefs and rocky shores, easy to recognize by its yellow and silvery blue stripes and two black bands: one crossing the eye and another running from the origin of the dorsal fin to the pectoral fin. It occurs from Florida to southern Brazil, on reefs, rocky bottoms and sometimes mangroves, down to about 70 m. At night it eats mollusks, echinoderms, worms and crustaceans; juveniles clean parasites off larger fish. It is caught in rocky-shore and reef fishing with small baits, and juveniles are sought by aquarists. It rarely exceeds 35 cm. The meat is good, but there are ciguatera records for the species in other regions.
fun facts
- Juveniles clean parasites off the bodies of larger fish.
- Only it, among the haemulids of the region, has yellow stripes and two black bands on the head.
identification
Tall body, with alternating longitudinal yellow and silvery blue stripes and yellow fins. Two black bands: one from the nape, through the eye, to the mouth, and another from the origin of the dorsal fin to the base of the pectoral fin. It is the only haemulid in the region with this pattern. Differs from the black margate, which is dark and unstriped, and from the white grunt, which has a shallower body and a red mouth inside.
where found
From Northeast Brazil to Santa Catarina, on reefs, rocky shores and offshore reefs.
Habitat: Coral and sandstone reefs, rocky shores and offshore reefs; juveniles in tide pools and mangroves.
coast
states
Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina
when to fish
best season
Best in warm months in the Southeast and South; all year in the Northeast.
best time of day
Night and twilight. By day it stays in small groups near the rocks; it feeds more in late afternoon and at night.
what affects the porkfish
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Cold water keeps it still in its burrows.
atmospheric pressure
A cold front shuts down activity.
moon
Small effect.
rain
Very dirty water gets in the way.
water level
Prefers clear water near the rocks.
noise
Wary; avoid noise on the rocky shore.
wind
Moderate swell helps; rough sea prevents fishing.
tide
A flood tide improves rocky-shore fishing.
depth
From 2 to 15 m in most catches.
how to fish
- rod
- 6'6" to 8'0", 8 to 20 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 2500 to 4000
- line
- braided line 12 to 20 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon 20 to 30 lb
- hook
- chinu 2 to 5 or maruseigo 10 to 14
natural baits
- shrimp
- marisco
- sea worm (polychaete)
- tatuí (sand crab)
accessories
- light sinker
- luvas
tip from an angler
Use little bait and fish close to the rocks; the porkfish steals large bait without getting hooked.
rules for the porkfish
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: Not on the national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026). We found no specific federal rule for this species.
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.
Release it quickly at the same spot, holding it from below, without squeezing.
in the kitchen
White, tasty meat, good fried or baked. There are ciguatera records in other regions.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01479, b = 3.05; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana, comprimento total)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
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.
- scientific FishBase — Anisotremus virginicus (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship and references. Page checked on October 13, 2026.
- 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)Most recent national list. The species is not on it (search by scientific name in the text published in the DOU, checked on October 13, 2026).
- official ICMBio/SALVE — Ficha de Anisotremus virginicus (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)ICMBio national assessment, published in 2025. DOI checked on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Anisotremus virginicus (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 01/03/2011)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- scientific Carpenter, K. E. (org.) (2002). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. Roma: FAO.Haemulidae chapter (Lindeman, K. C.), cited by FishBase for the species.
- scientific Menezes, N. A.; Figueiredo, J. L. (1980). Manual de peixes marinhos do sudeste do Brasil. IV. Teleostei (3). São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia da USP. 96 p.Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record on FishBase, which cites this work for the species.
- scientific Menezes, N. A.; Buckup, P. A.; Figueiredo, J. L.; Moura, R. L. (orgs.) (2003). Catálogo das espécies de peixes marinhos do Brasil. São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia da USP. 160 p.List of marine species recorded in Brazil. Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record in FishBase, which cites this work for the species.
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: