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How to catch Black seabream

Spondyliosoma cantharus (Linnaeus, 1758)

About Black seabream fishing

The black seabream is a robust marine fish belonging to the sparid family, featuring a moderately deep, compressed body with a distinctively convex head profile in adults. Its upper flanks display a dark grey hue that transitions to a silvery sheen below, marked by six to nine faint vertical bars along the sides. Reaching a maximum length of sixty centimetres and a common length of thirty centimetres, this species inhabits coastal waters down to three hundred metres over rocky ground, sandy areas, and seagrass beds. It is an omnivorous browser that feeds on algae and benthic invertebrates, often gathering in large schools. Known to undertake coastal migrations for spawning during the spring months, it is a valued target for both commercial and recreational fisheries across the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Average size

    30 cm SL

  • Market value

    Very high

  • Habitat

    Saltwater

  • Season

    Spring, Summer, Autumn

  • Also known as

    Black bream, Black sea bream, Black sea-bream, Old wife

Black seabream

Caudal shape

Forked tail fin shape typical of active swimming seabreams.

Weak stripes

Body tall with weak longitudinal stripes and faint vertical bars.

Black seabream fishing facts

Characteristics

  • Typical size

    30 cm SL (max 60 cm SL )

  • Typical weight

    0.2 kg (max 1.2 kg )

  • Preferred temperature

    7–17.2 °C

  • Depth

    5–300 m

  • Longevity

    14 years

  • Body shape

    Fusiform / Normal

  • Commercial?

  • Vulnerability score

    37.2

Best hours

  • Dawn

    First light

    Low

  • Morning

    After sunrise

    Peak

  • Midday

    High sun

    Active

  • Afternoon

    Late day

    Peak

  • Dusk

    Last light

    Low

  • Night

    After dark

    Low

When to fish for Black seabream

01
January
02
February
03
March
04
April
05
May
06
June
07
July
08
August
09
September
10 Now
October
11
November
12
December

How to catch Black seabream

Tips for catching Black seabream

Anglers target this species primarily during its spring inshore movement and spawning period when the fish congregate over shallow rocky bottoms and sandy patches. Bottom fishing with fine tackle yields the best results, using natural baits that match their natural diet of small crustaceans and marine worms. Presentation should be subtle and kept tight to the seabed near structural features such as reefs or weed edges where the fish forage. Daylight hours, particularly morning and afternoon periods, offer the most productive sport as these visual browsers actively feed in the clearer coastal zones.

Other names for Black seabream

Local and alternate names anglers use for Black seabream.

  • Black seabream
  • Old wife
  • Black sea-bream
  • Black sea bream
  • Black bream

Best equipment to catch Black seabream

Compare fishing methods for Black seabream — sized kit for each technique.

Note: Typical fish is 0.2 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.

Best lures and baits for Black seabream

Ranked lures and natural baits from every method, best first.

How Black seabream migrates — Oceanodromous

Migrates within the sea between spawning, nursery and feeding grounds, and never enters fresh water. Follow its seasonal shifts along the coast and offshore.

How Black seabream migrates — Oceanodromous 1. Eggs: Laid on the spawning grounds. 2. Larvae: Drift with the currents to the nursery grounds. 3. Juveniles: Grow up in sheltered nursery waters. 4. Adults: Range widely over the feeding grounds. 5. Spawners: Return to the spawning grounds each season.
Spawning grounds Nursery grounds Feeding grounds

1 Eggs

Spawning grounds

Laid on the spawning grounds.

2 Larvae

→ Nursery grounds

Drift with the currents to the nursery grounds.

3 Juveniles

Nursery grounds

Grow up in sheltered nursery waters.

4 Adults

Feeding grounds

Range widely over the feeding grounds.

5 Spawners

→ Spawning grounds

Return to the spawning grounds each season.

It stays in the sea and never runs up into fresh water.

Hover or tap a number to read each stage.

Diet and behavior of Black seabream

  • Diet

    Carnivore

  • Feeds by

    Mixed feeder

  • Hunts

    Morning · Afternoon

Prey and predators of Black seabream

Prey is what Black seabream eats. Predators are the animals that eat it.

That is how it feeds, and how it is hunted.

Prey

What it eats

Other prey

  • unspecified algae n.a./others
  • unspecified crustaceans juv./adults
  • polychaetes juv./adults

Predators

What hunts it

Fish

  • Seriola dumerili juv./adults

Where Black seabream lives

Lives near the bottom but swims in the water just above it. Cover the lower column, not only the mud.

Habitats
Saltwater
Depth zone
Sublittoral, Bathyal
5–300 m
Water column
Benthopelagic
Just above the bed

Where this species lives

Where to fish for Black seabream

Mapped fishing spots where Black seabream is recorded — open a pin for access and methods.

Lymington River

New ForestHampshireUnited Kingdom

Poole Harbour

DorsetEnglandUnited Kingdom

Përroi i Megallakos

VlorëShqipëriaAlbania

Liménas Palaiás Epidávrou

ArgolisPeloponnese RegionGreece

Praia de Albarquel

SetúbalSetúbalPortugal

Enseada da Abra

MachicoMadeiraPortugal

Ría de Ribadeo / Ría del Eo

Asturias / AsturiesAsturias / AsturiesSpain

Luka Izola

Izola / IsolaSlovenijaSlovenia