Babão

Length Category:  Large (>100 cm)

Trophic Level:  Predator-Fish

Migratory Pattern:  Long Distance (1,000 km +)

Spawning Period:  All periods

Export Market:  National (outside Amazon)

Market Status:  Second class

Catch Distribution:

Babão potential yield was estimated to be approximately 1,300 tons. The Brazilian-Colombian-Peruvian Border region accounts for 77% of the total, followed by the Central Amazon (6%), Estuary (4%) and Lower Amazon (4%) regions.

Natural History Notes:

The babão is a predator that feeds on fish. It lives in large river channels and the freshwater part of the estuary, from where it migrates to the Andean foothills to spawn. The estuary is used as a nursery for young fish. It is captured mostly with drifting gillnets when migrating upstream.