Gilthead seabream (Orata) (Orata)

Sparus aurata

Size

The seabream can measure up to 70 centimetres in length. It can weigh up to 2.5 kilograms.

Taste

The gilthead seabream is a popular food fish. The meat is firm and very tasty.

Sustainability

Global GAP

Natural habitat

It is native to the Mediterranean Sea around Italy, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. In summer its habitat extends to the French Atlantic coast, the Channel Islands, and sometimes even the southwest coast of England.

Life

It lives in the open sea and is often found in shallow water of up to 40 m in depth. The fish prefers a muddy seabed to sand. In spring it feels at home in brackish water areas.

Food

Its main diet is mussels and crustaceans. Harder prey is no problem, because the seabream’s molars and incisors are very strong.

Characteristics

The gilthead seabream, also known as an orata, has a crescent-shaped gold stripe on its forehead between its eyes, and a gold spot on each cheek. Several streaks cover its dorsal fin.

Informations

A biological peculiarity is that there are no female and male animals. Gilthead seabreams are ambisexual.

Fishing method

net enclosures

Net enclosures are installations for fish farming in natural waters such as ponds, rivers or the open sea. They consist of a buoyant carrier system and a net in which the fish are kept. Net enclosures facilitate feeding, inspection and harvesting without preventing the continuous exchange with the surrounding water and thus free fresh water supply.

Fishing area(s)

Recipes

Fishing method

net enclosures