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Tambaqui is the major native Characiform fish species in Brazil. The loin-eye area (LEA) is a feature currently used in breeding programs for livestock and may be a phenotype susceptible to selection also in tambaquis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of two different LEA measurements. LEA data were taken using the vegetable paper (VP) and ultrasonography (US) techniques measured in three LEA regions (LEA1) at the end of the operculum region, (LEA2) at the insertion of the dorsal fin, and (LEA3) in the region of insertion of the anal fin from 29 individuals in a fish processing plant located in the State of Rondonia, Brazil. The data were analyzed in the R program using both the Student’s t-test and the Pearson correlation. The mean values for the two methods were not statistically different at the 5% risk level, indicating that the US can efficiently estimate the LEA compared with the actual value given by VP. The correlation was moderate (0.61) for LEA2 and can be attributed to the loin cut into two halves lengthwise in tambaquis usually done during commercial fish processing. Ultrasound has proven to be an efficient method for accurately estimating the LEA in tambaqui for further genetic breeding programs.