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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.

White seabream
Diplodus sargus sargus
Σαργός

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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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

Legal

Minimum Size

23 cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

23 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

January – March

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Greek legislation does not establish a closed season for this species, leaving both juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected.

Choose responsibly by respecting sustainable size limits and avoiding consumption during the breeding season.

Archipelagos Tips

Choosing larger, mature fish helps reduce fishing pressure on juvenile individuals.

Common names

FR

Sar commun

it

Sarago maggiore

es

Sargo

tr

Sargos

pt

Sargo-legítimo

nl

Witte zeebrasem

de

Geißbrasse

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Compressed and flat body. Light grey with silvery and greenish reflections, with a dark gray face. Juveniles and young adults have nine faint dark gray vertical bands. The tail fin is edged in black with a spot at on the tail peduncle.

It looks like Diplodus vulgaris (Common Two-banded seabream) and is often found in the same habitats. It is distinguished by its two prominent dark bands on the tail base. Diplodus puntazzo (Sharp-snout seabream) is similar in appearance and habitat, this species is characterized by its pointed snout and distinctive dentition.

Did you know?

Sometimes, white seabream catch their food in open water and hold it in their jaws to eat in a calmer area!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Omnivore feeding on algae, sea-urchins, worms, gastropods and amphipods, active during the day.
Important predators of sea urchins in Azorean coastal habitats.
Feeds on shellfish and other benthic invertebrates which it picks from the sediment.

habitat

Demersal.
Inhabits coastal rocky reef areas and Posidonia oceanica.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 45 cm
Max weight: 1.9 kg
Depth range: 0-50 m

breeding & Growth

Sexes separate or protandrous (are born male and possess the ability to change into females later in life).
In some areas, this species occurs as a digynic hermaphrodite, meaning that juveniles have both sexes.
Spawning happens from January through March.
Growth rate: Slow (k = 0.15yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 8-12 years
Max reported age: 20 years
Distribution: Northeastern Atlantic from Brittany (France) to Gibraltar, and Madeira, Mediterranean Sea and Southwestern Black Sea.

appearance changes

Juveniles typically show fewer or lighter, less-defined vertical bars, which develop into 5 black and 4 grey prominent vertical bands in young adults. These bands, particularly around the body, can become less pronounced in older adults.

Reproductive Cycle

It spawns once a year, releasing eggs in multiple batches almost every day over a 3 to 5 month period.
An average female produces between 20,000 to 30,000 eggs per kilogram of body weight.
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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