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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.

Striped seabream
Lithognathus mormyrus
Μουρμούρα

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

20 cm

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

20 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

December – June

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

Marbré

it

Mormora

es

Herrera

tr

Çizgili mercan

pt

Ferreira

nl

Gestreepte zeebrasem

de

Marmorbrasse

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

This fish has a striking two-tone coloring, mostly silver and gray, decorated with 14 to 15 thin gray-brown stripes running across its body from top to bottom. Unlike many fish with a curved belly, this one has a flattened underside.

It looks like Diplodus sargus (White seabream), those juveniles can be similar in shape and fin structure to Lithognathus mormyrus. Careful examination of scale patterns and tooth morphology is needed for accurate identification.

Did you know?

Juvenile striped seabreams are thinner and more elongated than when mature!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
Feeds on worms, mollusks, and small crustaceans.

habitat

Benthopelagic.
Found over sandy or muddy bottoms, seagrass-beds and estuaries.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 55 cm
Max weight: 1 kg
Depth range: 0-150 m

breeding & Growth

Protandric hermaphrodites.
Start as males, become females at around 24-35cm.
Batch spawners.
Growth rate: Low-moderate (k = 0.227yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 7-10 years
Max reported age: 12 years
Distribution: Mediterranean, Red Sea, Eastern Atlantic, South Africa and Western Indian Ocean.

appearance changes

Juveniles start with a more elongated body, pointed head, and faint vertical bands. As they mature into adults, the body deepens, the snout becomes more pronounced, and the characteristic 14 to 15 dark vertical stripes sharpen to create a strong, silvery-grey and dark-banded contrast.

Reproductive Cycle

Egg count: 750-10,987 eggs
Reproductive frequency: Numerous times per spawning season.
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If you’d like to learn more about the work of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, please visit our website: https://archipelago.gr/

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