DONATE
Back to Fish4Life Project
Help improve Fish4Life

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 seabream
Spondyliosoma cantharus
Σκαθάρι

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

REPORT IT
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

23 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

February – 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

Dorade grise

it

Tanuta

es

Chopa

tr

Iskatari

pt

Choupa

nl

Zeekarper

de

Streifenbrasse

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Oval body, mostly silver-gray in color, with a dark area between the eyes and on the snout. It is laterally compressed and marked with yellow longitudinal lines. It has a single dorsal fin, long pectoral fins, and the caudal fin is bordered with black. At night, the body is dark with 5 black vertical bands. Juveniles can be mistaken for Diplodus annularis. Snout as long or longer than the eye diameter.

It looks like Sparus aurata (Gilthead seabream), which has similar body shape and habitat preferences. As another popular food fish, the Sparus aurata is known for its distinctive gold band between the eyes.

Did you know?

They are hermaphrodites in nature and undergo a sex change when they reach sexual maturity!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Omnivorous.
Feeds on seaweed, small invertebrates, and crustaceans.

habitat

Benthopelagic.
Found over seagrass, rocky, and sandy bottoms.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 60 cm
Max weight: 1.2 kg
Depth range: 5-300 m

breeding & Growth

Protogynous hermaphrodite. Fish born female and changes to male around 20cm. Spawns from February to April. Females lay eggs in the sand.
Growth Rate: Slow-moderate (k = 0.240yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 15 years
Max reported age: 15 years
Distribution: Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Eastern Atlantic.

appearance changes

During the spring breeding season, Spondyliosoma cantharus shows marked sexual dichromatism, males darken to nearly black or deep blue‑violet with three to four pale vertical bars and develop a bulbous, concave forehead with a blue spot between the eyes, while females display a pale horizontal flank bar indicating readiness to spawn.

Reproductive Cycle

Egg count: 40-110,000 eggs
Reproductive frequency: Numerous times per spawning season.
Facebook Youtube Instagram

Help improve Fish4Life!

How did you find Fish4Life?
Is there anything you would improve?
Is there anything else you would like us to add?

Thank you for your contribution. This project is built for the public and should be shaped by its community. We welcome your comments and any information you feel is important to include.

Spotted illegal or undersized seafood? Report it!

Upload a Photo
Date & Location
Where did you spot it?
Please let us know where
What is the name of the business or fishing vessel selling the seafood?
Description:
Additional information (optional)

Your contribution helps us document illegal and unsustainable fishing practices and protect our seas.

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