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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.

Picarel
Spicara smaris
Μαρίδα

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

10 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

April – May

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

Picarel

it

Zerro

es

Caramel

tr

İzmarit

pt

Trombeiro

nl

Pikarel

de

Pikarell

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

A black or blue spot on the body side above the pectoral fin, dorsal and anal fin. More elongated body with grey-bluish or brownish dorsal coloration and gray above and silvery below. The color varies with age, sex and season.

It looks like Spicara maena (Blotched picarel), it has a taller, less elongated body compared to Spicara smaris. The back is typically bluish-gray or greenish, and the black spot on the side, while present, is not as prominent as the one on Spicara smaris.

Did you know?

At birth they are all females and eventually all become males!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Hyperbenthivorous/zooplanktivorous.
Feeds on planktonic crustaceans, mysids, planktonic larvae, and copepods.

habitat

Pelagic-neritic.
It lives and feeds in coastal waters (neritic zone) but primarily in the water column (pelagic lifestyle) rather than directly on the bottom. It can inhabit Posidonia beds and muddy bottoms.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 24.2 cm
Max weight: 78 g
Depth range: 15-328 m

breeding & Growth

Social structure influenced by protogynous sex change. The individuals are first mature as females and later some become males. Spawns on detritic sandy bottoms, where the nests are excavated. A brightly colored male actively guards each nest, while females and some males swim above the area. Larger males often control spawning groups or territories within schools. At the end of the incubation period, the males lose their coloration, group into large schools and move to feeding places.
Growth rate: Fast (k = 0.5yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 3–5 years
Max reported age: 8 years
Distribution: Entire Mediterranean, the Black Sea, Southern Sea of Azov and Atlantic coasts from Portugal to Morocco, including the Canary Islands and Madeira.

appearance changes

Moderate and mainly ontogenetic, with an additional strong sex-related (protogynous) component. Juveniles have a slender body shape, more translucent/silvery appearance, less pronounced coloration and markings. Adults have a more deep-bodied and stronger silvery-grey coloration.

Reproductive Cycle

Spawns once per year during an extended spring/summer breeding season. Over this season, a female releases a total of 2000 to 7000 eggs (depending on her size and age). Rather than dropping them all at once, she releases them in smaller batches every few days.
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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