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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

Red Sea hardyhead silverside
Atherinomorus forskalii
Κεφαλοαθερίνα

Sustainability Status

Sustainable food source

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Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable
Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Legal

Minimum Size

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Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

–

Avoid Consumption Period

–

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Archipelagos Tips

Consumption of this species helps the ecosystem as it is an alien species!

Common names

FR

Athérine têtue

it

Latterino

es

Abichón

tr

Gümüş balığı

pt

Peixe-rei

nl

–

de

–

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

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Description

It has a fusiform, moderately compressed body. The head has a relatively broad snout and a large upper jaw that reaches to or slightly beyond the front edge of the pupil. The anus is positioned close to the tip of the pelvic fin. The body is marked by a distinct midlateral band whose lower margin extends to the lower side of the body near the origin of the anal fin.

It looks like Atherinomorus lacunosus (Hardyhead silverside) and Atherinomorus pinguis (Narrow-banded hardyhead silverside). They have a wide midlateral band, a large mouth, and lacking a distinct tubercle on the dentary. Atherinomus forskalii can be distinguished by the presence of conspicuous, large endopterygoid teeth forming obvious tooth ridges.

Did you know?

Invasive Red Sea hardyhead silversides was the very first lessepsian fish recorded, meaning it was the first invasive fish documented utilizing the Suez canal to enter the Mediterranean Sea!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Zooplanktivorous.
Feeds on zooplankton and small bottom-living invertebrates.

habitat

Dwells in coastal waters.
Common in lagoons and semi-enclosed seas.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 13.3 cm
Max weight: 15 g
Depth arnge: 0 – 43 m

breeding & Growth

Peak reproductive activity occurs primarily between April and early July.
They are considered multiple/batch spawners, meaning females do not release all of their eggs at once.

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 1-2 years
Max reported age: 3 years
Distribution: It is native to the Western Indian Ocean and to the Red Sea. Following the opening of the Suez Canal, it migrated to the Mediterranean Sea and has since spread extensively along the coasts of Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

appearance changes

It undergoes distinct changes as it transitions from a juvenile to an adult. Juveniles feature a bright golden-green body with bold, vertical dark bands on their sides. As they mature into adulthood, these vertical bands typically fade away.

Reproductive Cycle

They spawn multiple times within that 3 to 4 month breeding window spawning from 500 to 3000 eggs per season.
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Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms