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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.

Common two-banded seabream
Diplodus vulgaris
Κακαρέλος – Χαρακίδα

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

18 cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

18 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

December – January

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 à tête noire

it

Sarago fasciato

es

Mojarra

tr

Karagöz

pt

Safia

nl

Zwartkopzeebrasem

de

Zweibindenbrasse

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Black spots above its pectoral fins. The coloration is light grey with silvery and yellowish highlights. It is covered in very fine horizontal stripes ranging from brown to black, one dark band from the origin of dorsal to the base of pectoral fin and one on the tail peduncle. It has a flat body and its caudal fin is edged in black.

It looks like Diplodus sargus sargus (White seabream). It can be difficult to distinguish them, but Diplodus vulgaris has two black bands one at the end of the head, the other one at the start of its tail.

Did you know?

Female common two-banded seabreams can lay up to 315,000 eggs!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
Feeds on crustaceans, worms, mollusks.

habitat

Demersal.
Inhabits rocky and sometimes sandy bottoms of varying salinities. Young are sometimes found in seagrass.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 45 cm
Max weight: 1.3 kg
Depth range: 0-160 m

breeding & Growth

Potentially hermaphrodites (possesses reproductive organs for both sexes). Spawns October through January.
Grow rate: Low-moderate (k = 0.255yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 12-14 years
Max reported age: 16 years
Distribution: Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Eastern Atlantic and South Africa.

appearance changes

–

Reproductive Cycle

Egg count: 10,000-300,000 eggs.
Reproduction frequency: Numerous times 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