atlantic anchoveta
Cetengraulis edentulus · Engraulidae · forage fish
Schooling coastal fish, from the Caribbean to southern Brazil, that enters lagoons and estuaries. It is hardly ever caught on a rod, but it is used as bait.
Also called: xangô, xangô-folha, xangô-magro, bocón, atlantic anchoveta
- maximum
- 20 cm
- record/max.
- 0.1 kg
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 atlantic anchoveta
who is the atlantic anchoveta
Fish of the family Engraulidae, the anchovy and manjuba family. It reaches 20.5 cm and forms very large schools near the beach, in shallow sea, lagoons and estuaries. It tolerates water with little salt, from 10 to 31 parts per thousand, as in the Santa Cruz canal in Pernambuco. It filters plankton, probably phytoplankton and zooplankton. Its large schools close to the beach make it a frequently used bait. In angling it has little commercial importance and is rarely the target of rod fishing.
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 atlantic anchoveta; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Spawns off the coast of the Araya Peninsula, in Venezuela, from October to January.
identification
Large, tall head, with a short, pointed snout. The marks that help identify it are dark dots on the top of the head and snout, and a row of large black dots at the base of the anal fin. The silvery flank stripe fades by about 10 cm. It looks like the boca-torta (Anchovia clupeoides) and the manjuba (Anchoviella lepidentostole), which live in the same region, so check these dots.
where found
In Latin America, it occurs from Cuba and Costa Rica to Colombia and Venezuela, in Trinidad and in Brazil, down to Itapema, in Santa Catarina.
Habitat: Shallow coastal waters, in large schools, close to the beach, in lagoons and estuaries.
coast
rules for the atlantic anchoveta
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 Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
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.
It has no spines or venom and poses no danger to people.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0049, b = 3.24; 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: Cetengraulis edentulus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Cetengraulis edentulusNames by country and language.
- 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)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
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: