English
Scientific name: Sparus aurata
Extremely popular and very numerous fish along the Mediterranean coast, in particular on the border between rocky and sandy substrates. Rather easy to recognize thanks to the yellow-golden band on the head from which it takes its name. In Italy it is also bred in marine farms in specialized areas.
Characteristics
The body is strong, silvery in colour, with slightly darker scales on the back and lighter, tending to white, under the belly. Distinctive feature of the species are the two coloured bands present in the space between the eyes, the upper is dark, the lower, yellow-gold. The jaw is strong with the lower part slightly set back from the upper and has very sharp teeth. It can reach a maximum length of 70 cm for a weight of around 10 kg but usually those found on the market vary from a minimum of 20 cm to a maximum of 50 cm.
The sea bream is a protandrous hermaphroditic species, meaning that each individual has both the male and female apparatus that develop at different times. When the young fish reaches sexual maturity, the male apparatus develops which matures at the end of the second year of life, then begins to regress and the female part gradually takes over.
Habitat
The sea bream is present throughout the Mediterranean basin in the coastal zone between 5-150 m deep, especially in rocky areas. It is generally solitary, rarely moves in small groups. It supports different concentrations of salinity and it is not rare to find it in areas of brackish water such as lagoons or estuaries but unlike sea bass it prefers warm waters. The bream can be bred in aquaculture, a growing practice also due to the great market demand, in the Adriatic lagoons and along the Tuscan coasts. The minimum size for fishing and marketing according to Reg. EC 1967/2006 is 20 cm.
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