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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.

Stargazer
Uranoscopus scaber
Λύχνος

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

16 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

April – August

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 blanche

it

Pesce prete

es

Miracielo

tr

Kurbağa balığı

pt

Peixe-cabeçudo

nl

Opkijker

de

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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

Elongated with a flattened, square-shaped head, eyes on top and large upward-facing mouth. They have a venomous spine on their shoulder. First dorsal fin is black. Large head partly covered in bony plates. Back and flanks brown-greyish with small white spots. Ventral part white-yellowish.

It looks like Uranoscopus flavipinnis has a similar body shape and coloration. The genus Astroscopus also contains stargazers with similar habits.

Did you know?

Stargazers can produce an electric charge as a defense mechanism!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
Feeds on fishes, shrimps, squids, and crabs.

habitat

Benthic.
Found buried in the sand or mud.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 56.4 cm
Max weight: 940 g
Depth range: 15-400 m

breeding & Growth

Gonochoric (seperate sexes). Spawns between April through September.
Growth rate: Slow (k = 0.15yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 5-6 years
Max reported age: 8 years
Distribution: Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Atlantic.

appearance changes

One key appearance change occurs as the fish matures. When juveniles are at a planktonic length of roughly 11mm, their eyes are positioned laterally. By the time they grow to about 24mm, the eyes migrate upwards to the top of the head. This adaptation aids life buried in the sand.

Reproductive Cycle

Egg count: 1,600-11,500 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