Black Sea Bream

The black seabream has a moderately deep body with a small, round profiled head with a mouth that extends as far back as the front of the eye. The dorsal fin is supported by 11 spines and between 11 and 13 soft rays and there are 3 spines and 9 to 11 soft rays supporting the anal fin. In adults the dorsal profile of the head is convex. The cheeks, operculum and preoperculum have no scales. There are 4 to 6 rows of conical and thin teeth, the outer teeth enlarged especially at the front of the jaw, in both jaws. The caudal fin is slightly forked. The colour if this fish is darker grey on the upper body, silvery on the flanks, with between 6 and 9 dark vertical bars along the body. The males may turn nearly black when nesting. This species has a maximum published total length of 60 cm (24 in), although 30 cm (12 in) is more typical, and a maximum published weight of 1.2 kg (2.6 lb).

The black seabream has a wide distribution in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Scandinavia in the north to Namibia in the south, including the Macaronesia, the Mediterranean and the western Black Sea. It is found at depths between 5 and 300 m (16 and 984 ft) over seagrass beds and rocky and sandy substrates.

The black seabream is a valued food fish and is an important target species for commercial fisheries, as well as for recreational fishers during the spawning season. It is targeted throughout its extensive distribution but especially to the north of Senegal. It is caught by line fishing, trawling, beach seines, fixed nets and fish traps. This species is landed throughout the year but the amount landed varies seasonally. It is sold fresh, frozen or salted and dried and the flesh is highly valued. Some of the catch is processed to produce fish meal and oil. Black seabream is frequently sold in the markets in Tunisia, Morocco, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Sicily, and is infrequently marketed in other areas. 3,200 t (3,100 long tons; 3,500 short tons) are landed in Portugal per annum, where this fish is a very important species for commercial inshore fisheries.