Sea Bream – Sparus aurata

“Orata” redirects here. For the ancient Roman of this name, see Aurata C.Sergius.

“Dorade” redirects here. For the yacht, see Dorade (yacht).

The gilt-head (sea) bream (Sparus aurata), called Orada in antiquity and still today in Italy (while in Spain is “Dorada”), is a fish of the bream family Sparidae found in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern coastal regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. It commonly reaches about 35 centimetres (1.15 ft) in length, but may reach 70 cm (2.3 ft) and weigh up to about 7.36 kilograms (16.2 lb).

The gilt-head bream is generally considered the best-tasting of the breams. It is the single species of the genus Sparus – the Latin name for this fish – which has given the whole family of Sparidae its name. Its specific name, aurata, derives from the gold bar marking between its eyes.

The genome of the species was released in 2018, where the authors detected fast evolution of ovary-biased genes likely resulting from the peculiar reproduction mode of the species.

Sea Bass – Dicentrarchus labrax

The European bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) is a primarily ocean-going fish native to the waters off Europe’s western and southern and Africa’s northern coasts, though it can also be found in shallow coastal waters and river mouths during the summer months. It is one of only six species in its family, Moronidae, collectively called the temperate basses.

It is both fished and raised commercially, and is considered to be the most important fish currently cultured in the Mediterranean. In Ireland and the United Kingdom, the popular restaurant fish sold and consumed as sea bass is exclusively the European bass.[2] In North America it is widely known by its Italian name, branzino.[3]

European bass are a slow-growing species that takes several years to reach full adulthood. An adult European seabass usually weighs around 5 kg (11 lb). European bass can reach sizes of up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length and 12 kg (26 lb) in weight, though the most common size is only about half of that at 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in). Individuals are silvery grey in color and sometimes a dark-bluish color on the back.

Juveniles form schools and feed on invertebrates, while adults are less social and prefer to consume other fish. They are generally found in the littoral zone near the banks of rivers, lagoons, and estuaries during the summer, and migrate offshore during the winter. European sea bass feed on prawns, crabs and small fish. Though it is a sought-after gamefish, it is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature because it is widespread and there are no known major threats.

Red sea bream – Pagrus major

Pagrus major, the red seabream is a fish species in the family Sparidae. In Japan, Pagrus major is known as madai (真鯛, or “genuine tai”) and is prized both for its flavor and for its traditional use as an auspicious food, often served at New Year’s and at festive occasions such as weddings. Successful sumo wrestlers are often photographed holding the fish. It is also the most commonly eaten fish in Taiwan. Habitat preference is genetically coded in juveniles, which helps them to choose the optimal microhabitat in a fluctuating environment. Habitat preference is only observed in juvenile fish up to the age of 30 days, while adult fish do not show any habitat preference.

It is widespread in the Northwest Pacific from the northeastern part of South China Sea (Philippines excluded) northward to Japan. It is a marine subtropical oceanodromous demersal fish.