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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.

Black scorpionfish
Scorpaena porcus
Μαυροσκορπιός

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

–

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

18 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

June – September

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

Rascasse brune

it

Scorfano nero

es

Rascacio

tr

Siyah İskorpit balığı

pt

Rascasso

nl

Bruine schorpioenvis

de

Brauner Drachenkopf

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.
The dorsal spine can inflict painful sting, be careful when handling them.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Multicolor with a predominantly red, brown and beige body. It also has red and brown mottling. Long tentacles above the eyes.

It looks like Scorpaena scrofa (Red scorpionfish), it has similar characteristics like venomous spines and a preference for rocky bottoms, but differ in size, color, and specific habitat preferences.

Did you know?

Black scorpionfish are highly effective ambush predators that utilize their colors to hide between vegetation and to attack their prey!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
Feeds on small fishes, crustaceans, and other invertebrates.

habitat

Benthic.
Found among rocks and algae on the ocean floor.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 40.5 cm
Max weight: 870 g
Depth range: 0-800 m

breeding & Growth

Gonochoric (seperate sexes). Releases pelagic eggs in batches. Spawns from June through September.
Growth rate: Slow (k = 0.173yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 5-8 years
Max reported age: 12 years
Distribution: Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Eastern Atlantic.

appearance changes

Scorpaena porcus can rapidly adjust its luminance (brightness), hue, and average marking size in less than one minute to match its surroundings. When adapting to darker backgrounds, it increases its internal pattern contrast to break up its shape (disruptive camouflage).

Reproductive Cycle

Egg count: 15,000-60,000 eggs
Reproductive frequency: Numerous times within 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