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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.

Salema porgy
Sarpa salpa
Σάλπα

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

–

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

19 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

September – November

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Greek legislation does not establish legal minimum size and no closed season, leaving 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

Saupe

it

Sarpa

es

Salema

tr

Sarpa

pt

Salema

nl

Gestreepte bokvis

de

Goldstrieme

toxicity

This species is safe to consume. Don't consume head or organs, can cause hallucinations.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Black spot at the pectoral fin base with 10-11 gold-yellowish longitudinal stripes. Body oval shaped and relatively slender with a depth that fits into its standard length about 2.8 times. Yellow eyes.

It looks like Spondyliosoma cantharus (Black seabream), they share the Mediterranean Sea as part of their habitat, and they have distinct characteristics and ecological roles.

Did you know?

Known as the “crazy fish,” for its skin, which is famous for its ability to induce hallucinations!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous young (feeds on crustaceans).
Herbivorous adults (feeds on seaweed).

habitat

Benthopelagic.
Found over rocky substrates or sandy areas with algal growth.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 51 cm
Max weight: 1.5 kg
Depth range: 5-70 m

breeding & Growth

Protandric hermaphrodite (start as males, become females at 25cm). Spawns from March through May and September through November.
Growth rate: Slow-moderate (k = 0.270yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 6-15 years
Max reported age: 15 years
Distribution: Mediterranean, East Atlantic, and Congo to South Africa.

appearance changes

–

Reproductive Cycle

Egg count: 3 million-15 million 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