Gilt-head bream facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gilt-head bream |
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Sparidae
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Sparus
Linnaeus, 1758
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S. aurata
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| Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758
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| Sparus aurata - Distribution map | |
The gilt-head (sea) bream (Sparus aurata) is a fish of the bream family Sparidae found in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern coastal regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. It commonly reaches about 35 centimetres (1.15 ft) in length, but may reach 70 cm (2.3 ft) and weigh up to about 7.36 kilograms (16.2 lb).
The gilt-head bream is generally considered the best tasting of the breams. It is the single species of the genus Sparus – the Latin name for this fish – which has given the whole family of Sparidae its name. Its specific name, aurata, derives from the gold bar marking between its eyes.
The genome of the species was released in 2018, where the authors detected fast evolution of ovary-biased genes likely resulting from the peculiar reproduction mode of the species.
Contents
Names
Known as Orata in antiquity and still today in Italy, Malta, and Tunisia (known as "Dorada" in Spain and Romania, "Dourada" in Portugal, "Dorade Royale" in France, and "Awrata" in Malta).
Biology
It is typically found at depths of 0–30 metres (0–98 ft), but may occur up to 150 m (490 ft), seen singly or in small groups near seagrass or over sandy bottoms, but sometimes in estuaries during the spring.
It mainly feeds on shellfish, but also some plant material.
Gilt-head bream are protandrous sequential hermaphrodites, maturing as males by age 2, before some develop ovaries and lose their testes in later life.
Fisheries and aquaculture
Gilthead seabream is an esteemed food fish, but catches of wild fish have been relatively modest, between 6,100 and 9,600 metric tons (6,000 and 9,400 long tons; 6,700 and 10,600 short tons) in 2000–2009, primarily from the Mediterranean. In addition, gilthead seabream have traditionally been cultured extensively in coastal lagoons and saltwater ponds. However, intensive rearing systems were developed during the 1980s, and gilthead seabream has become an important aquaculture species, primarily in the Mediterranean area and Portugal. Reported production was negligible until the late 1980s, but reached 140,000 metric tons (140,000 long tons; 150,000 short tons) in 2010, thus dwarfing the capture fisheries production. Turkey is the biggest seabream producer in the world, followed by Greece.
Gilthead seabreams in aquaculture are susceptible to parasitic infections, including from Enterospora nucleophila.
Cuisine
The fish is widely used in Mediterranean cooking, under a variety of names. In Tunisia, it is known locally as "wrata". In Greece, it is known as "tsipoura", in Spain, it is known as "dorada", and in France, as "dorade".
See also
In Spanish: Sparus aurata para niños
- Acanthopagrus
