Seabream - Black

Dispatch Method:

Beware of the sharp dorsal and anal spines of black seabream when handling them. To maximise their eating qualities they should be killed humanely by iki jime, or a firm knock to the head before placing them in an ice slurry after bleeding.

Fish Description:

• This species has a laterally compressed silvery grey body with several darker brown longitudinal stripes and greyish vertical bars on the flanks, fading to white/silver towards the belly. The single dorsal fin is relatively tall and long, while the anal fin is shorter, and the tail is deeply forked.
  
• The mouth is small but powerful and full of sharp teeth, with the snout being as long or longer than the eye diameter
  
• Black seabream are protogynous hermaphrodites which mature first as females at 2-3 years old and around 20-24 cm long. Transition to male occurs several years later when fish are between 25 cm and 40 cm long. The breeding season occurs in spring when male fish create a nest on gravel or sand covered areas on rocky reefs. Once spawning is completed, male fish protect their nest and eggs until they hatch, often turning nearly black in colour during this time.

Fish Distribution:

• Black seabream occur throughout the Eastern Atlantic from Scandinavia to northern Namibia, including the Strait of Gibraltar, Mediterranean and the Black Seas, Madeira, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde.
  
• This species is found singly or in large schools over seagrass beds and rocky, gravelly or sandy bottoms from nearshore to depths of around 300 meters. Black seabream are omnivorous, feeding on a wide range of food items including seaweeds as well as invertebrates, especially worms and crustaceans.

Fish Size Common Length:

20-30 cm (8-12 inches), maximum size around 60 cm (24 inches) and 2.5 kg (6 lb).