Whitemouth Croaker
The whitemouth croaker — corvina to every Brazilian fisher — is the single most important demersal fish landed along the southeast and south coasts of Brazil.
Commercial fleets from São Paulo to Rio Grande do Sul chase it by the tens of thousands of tons, but artisanal and recreational anglers work the same estuaries and sandy beaches for the same fish.
It's a table fish first and foremost: mild, white flesh that sells fresh or salted at every coastal market.
Scientific Name: Micropogonias furnieri
Also known as Corvina, corvina-branca
- Deep, compressed silver-gray body with a slightly arched back; belly paler, almost white — the source of the common name.
- Small barbels under the chin and a subterminal mouth pointing slightly downward, both signs of a bottom-feeding lifestyle.
- Typical catch runs 25–40 cm; larger adults can push past 50 cm and several kilograms.
- Faint oblique streaks along the flanks; dorsal fin notched between the spiny and soft-rayed sections, similar to other croakers but stouter overall.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Native to the Brazilian coast; most intensively fished south of roughly 21°S — the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul.
- Found throughout the country's coastline but less abundant in the north; the southeast and south shelf is the core range.
- Lives over sandy and muddy bottoms in coastal waters, estuaries, and bays — Sepetiba Bay (Rio de Janeiro) is a well-documented nursery and feeding ground.
- Juveniles concentrate in estuaries and shallow inshore areas; adults range onto the continental shelf, sometimes to 75 m in winter.
Key Locations
- Sepetiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro — documented nursery and year-round feeding ground; important to artisanal Caiçara communities.
- São Paulo coast — one of the primary states in gillnet selectivity studies and commercial landings monitoring.
- Santa Catarina — major landing state for both gillnet and pair-trawl fleets targeting corvina.
- Rio Grande do Sul — southernmost core of the Brazilian range; high commercial landings and part of the broader South Atlantic stock shared with Uruguay.
Specific Spots
- Shallow sandy and muddy flats in 10–20 m are the bread-and-butter zone; that's where the bulk of catches happen across seasons.
- Estuarine channels and bay mouths hold juveniles and feeding adults — structure where tidal current pushes food over soft bottom.
- In winter, schools move deeper — down to 75 m on the shelf — following temperature and prey; that's when pair trawlers and offshore gillnetters find the biggest concentrations.
- Inside bays like Sepetiba, east and north winds push fish inshore; local artisanal fishers watch wind direction as a reliable bite trigger.
Whitemouth Croaker FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for Whitemouth Croaker?
Fresh or frozen shrimp is the most reliable bait across the coast, fished on the bottom on a simple hook-and-sinker rig. Cut squid and small pieces of fish also work; natural baits consistently outperform artificials for this species in Brazilian coastal fishing.
When is the best time to fish for Whitemouth Croaker?
May through July, gillnet fisheries peak; fish concentrated inshore in the southeast and south. March through May, first peak for pair-trawl fleets; fish moving and feeding actively. August through November, second trawl-fleet peak; another period of strong inshore availability.
How do you catch Whitemouth Croaker?
Most anglers in Brazil fish corvina from small boats or shore, anchoring or drifting over sandy and muddy bottom in bays and coastal shallows and presenting natural bait on a bottom rig. Artisanal fishers use bottom gillnets extensively; recreational anglers favor light spinning gear with shrimp or squid.
What do Whitemouth Croaker eat?
Juveniles pick off small crustaceans and burrowing mollusks along the bottom, soft-plastic grubs or small jigs worked slowly on the bottom imitate this well. Adults shift to broader bottom-feeding: worms, shrimp, crabs, and occasional small fish.
Where do Whitemouth Croaker live?
Native to the Brazilian coast; most intensively fished south of roughly 21°S, the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. Found throughout the country's coastline but less abundant in the north; the southeast and south shelf is the core range.
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