Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)

Scientific name: Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758

Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)

The Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) is a brackish-water fish of the family Sparidae.

Biology

Found in seagrass beds and sandy bottoms as well as in the surf zone commonly to depths of about 30 m, but adults may occur to 150 m depth. A sedentary fish, either solitary or in small aggregations. In spring, they often occur in brackish water coastal lagoons and estuaries. Mainly carnivorous, accessorily herbivorous. Feed on shellfish, including mussels and oysters. One of the most important fishes in saline and hypersaline aquaculture. Utilized fresh and eaten steamed, pan-fried, broiled, boiled, microwaved and baked.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Sparus aurata
Family
Sparidae (Porgies)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
70.0
Common length
35.0
Depth range
1–150 m (3–492 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 1 - 150 m, usually 1 - 30 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Eastern Atlantic: British Isles, Strait of Gibraltar to Cape Verde and around the Canary Islands. Also in the Mediterranean. Reports from New Zealand refer to Pagrus auratus (Foster 1801). Reported from the Black Sea.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.28; tmax=11; tm=2-3)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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