gulf menhaden
Brevoortia patronus · Alosidae · forage fish
Menhaden of coastal and bay schools in the Gulf of Mexico, used mainly for oil and fishmeal. It has an intense commercial fishery.
Also called: savelha-do-golfo, sardina lacha, lacha escamuda, gulf menhaden
- maximum
- 35 cm
- depth
- 0–50 m
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
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee 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 gulf menhaden
who is the gulf menhaden
Fish of the family Alosidae, up to 35 cm, with a common size near 20 cm. It forms dense schools in coastal waters and bays, and probably also feeds near the bottom. It occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, from Florida Bay to the Gulf of Campeche and the Yucatán Peninsula, with no reliable Caribbean records. It feeds mostly on phytoplankton, filtering water as a school. It has an intense commercial fishery, and the flesh is sold fresh, salted or canned. Its main use is as a source of oil and fishmeal.
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 gulf menhaden; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- It tolerates everything from nearly fresh to very salty water, but most catches come from brackish waters.
identification
Elongated, compressed silvery body, with grayish-blue back and green-gold flanks. It has a dark spot behind the gill opening, followed by a row of spots along the flank, which sets it apart from the finescale menhaden (Brevoortia gunteri). It has visible scutes on the belly and slightly smaller, irregular scales on the back. The pelvic fin has a rounded rear edge.
where found
In Mexico, it occurs in the Gulf, from Florida Bay to the Gulf of Campeche and the Yucatán Peninsula, in coastal waters and bays.
Habitat: Schools in coastal waters and bays, from 0 to 50 m deep.
rules for the gulf menhaden
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 anglers, with no dangerous spines or teeth.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh, salted or canned, but used mainly as a source of oil and fishmeal.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00871, b = 3.14; 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
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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.
- scientific FishBase: Brevoortia patronus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Brevoortia patronusNames 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: