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fishing forecast

pacific shafted bonefish

Albula pacifica · Albulidae · predator

Eastern Pacific bonefish that lives close to the bottom, with records in Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. A relative of the bonefish famous in sport fishing, but little known.

Also called: ubarana-de-fio-do-Pacífico, macabí de hebra del Pacífico, zorro de hebra, pacific shafted bonefish

Scientific illustration of Pacific shafted bonefish
location

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period

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the species

everything about the pacific shafted bonefish

overview

who is the pacific shafted bonefish

A fish of the family Albulidae, the bonefishes, which lives in the sea, close to the bottom, in tropical waters of the eastern Pacific. It has records in Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. It spawns in open sea, and the eggs are pelagic, that is, they float freely in the water. Like other bonefishes, it has an elongated, silvery body. The family is known as a sport fish in other regions, but for this species there is little fishing information, and it is easily confused with the eastern Pacific bonefish.

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 pacific shafted bonefish; in the meantime, see the similar species.

how to recognize it

identification

Elongated, spindle-shaped and silvery body, like other bonefishes, with a bottom-dwelling habit. It looks very much like the eastern Pacific bonefish, which occurs in the same region, and the two are hard to tell apart by eye: safe identification requires a specialist's examination, and color and shape are not enough.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

In the tropical eastern Pacific, with records in Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, in marine habitat.

Habitat: Close to the bottom, in the tropical eastern Pacific sea.

what the law says

rules for the pacific shafted bonefish

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. Handle with wet hands, without leaving the fish out of the water for long, and release it quickly.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01288, b = 3.05; 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: Albula pacifica (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 Albula pacificaNames by country and language.
don't confuse

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