Sparus Aurata

– Gilt-Head Bream –

The gilt-head (sea) bream (Sparus aurata), called Orata 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).^[2]

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^[3] – 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.^[4]

Description

The gilthead seabream is a fish with silvery gray sides whose common size varies from 20 to 50 cm (70 cm maximum). The body is oval, laterally compressed and quite high, the head is rounded. The mouth is low with thick lips. It presents at the front of each jaw 4 to 6 massive canines, then 2 to 4 rows of molars.
We can observe between the two eyes a golden frontal band bordered with black , as well as a large dark spot elongated on the top of the operculum * , at the beginning of the lateral line *. The tip of the caudal fin is bordered in black. A black line can also be seen on its long dorsal fin.
At night, the juveniles observed present a livery with vertical stripes.

Biotope

The gilthead seabream is often found, solitary or in small groups, at shallow depth in the breakers area, as well as on Posidonia meadows and sandy bottoms. It also frequents brackish areas (river estuaries, lagoons). Juveniles do not exceed 30 m in depth, while adults can descend to 150 m.

Similar species

One can confuse the royal sea bream with other Sparidae of the same general shape (pagres, sars), however the presence of the black spot at the level of the operculum is characteristic of the species.

Alimentation

The sea bream is an essentially carnivorous fish, its teeth allowing it to crush shells and shells. It feeds on bivalve molluscs (mussels, oysters), crustaceans, sea urchins and very incidentally on fish.

It mainly feeds on shellfish, but also some plant material.^[2]

Reproduction

The sea bream is a protandrous fish *: first male, it reaches its sexual maturity between 1 and 2 years (size of 20 to 30 cm), then it becomes female around 3 years (i.e. at a size of about 30 to 40 cm), for a life expectancy of 11 years. Fertilization is external, the breeding season varying according to the region. A female can lay 80,000 eggs each day during the 3 to 4 month spawning period.

Further Information

Sea bream is a highly prized fish for human consumers. It is the subject of semi-industrial, artisanal or sport fishing, but is also one of the fish for which aquaculture is developing in various Mediterranean countries.

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Gilthead seabream is an esteemed food fish, but catches of wild fish have been relatively modest, between 6,100 and 9,600 tonnes in 2000–2009, primarily from the Mediterranean.^[5] In addition, gilthead seabream have traditionally been cultured extensively in coastal lagoons and saltwater ponds. However, intensive rearing systems were developed during the 1980s, and gilthead seabream has become an important aquaculture species, primarily in the Mediterranean area. Reported production was negligible until the late 1980s, but reached 140,000 tonnes in 2010, thus dwarfing the capture fisheries production.^[6] Greece is the biggest seabream producer in Europe, followed by Turkey.^[7]Gilthead seabream in aquaculture are susceptible to parasitic infections, including from Enterospora nucleophila.

Cuisine

The fish is widely used in Mediterranean cooking, under a variety of names. In Tunisia, it is known locally as “Dorate”.