Salema (Sarpa salpa)

Scientific name: Sarpa salpa Linnaeus, 1758

Salema (Sarpa salpa)

The Salema (Sarpa salpa) is a brackish-water fish of the family Sparidae.

Biology

Found over rocky substrates and sandy area with algal growth. Gregarious, sometimes forming sizeable schools. Young mainly carnivorous on crustaceans, adults almost exclusively herbivorous, feed on seaweeds. Protandric hermaphrodite. Tasty when fresh, but easily softens and not is not much esteemed.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Sarpa salpa
Family
Sparidae (Porgies)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
51.0
Common length
30.0
Depth range
5–70 m (16–230 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; benthopelagic; oceanodromous; depth range 5 - 70 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Eastern Atlantic: Bay of Biscay and Strait of Gibraltar to Sierra Leone, including Madeira, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde; Congo to South Africa. Also present in the Mediterranean.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; bait: occasionally
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming tm=2-4)

Sources

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

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