Barcelos Barcelos

Barcelos

Situated on the right bank of Negro river, Barcelos is in the State of Amazonas, 396 kilometers from Manaus. The city houses the Jaú National Park, in addition to the Serra do Aracá State Park and the Mariuá Archipelago, the biggest fluvial archipelago in the world, with more than 700 islands.

The municipality is the largest exporter of ornamental fish in Brazil, with an estimated 20 million specimens per year, intended for countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Annually, in the month of January, the Ornamental Fish Festival happens, which is considered to be the biggest cultural attraction of the city. The feast usually attracts thousands of visitors and features recreational fishing, ecotourism and presentations. The natural beauty of the region and the huge variety of fish attract to Amazon an increasing number of visitors who have fishing as main goal.

There are tour operators specialized in organizing fishing tours, but it is important to remember that predatory fishing is prohibited (use of explosives, poisonous herbs or toxic chemicals of any kind), and fishing between the months of December and February – the piracema period, which is when the fish lay eggs – is also restricted.

The region has the highest concentration of tucunaré fish in Amazon. Ravenous, the tucunaré can weigh up to 12 kg and usually swims on the surface. Another species is dourado, which does not have scales and belongs to the family of big catfish. It can measure up to 1,5 m and weigh 50 kg. Tambaqui is another fish that can also be found on the location in the flood season.