The Red Bream

The Red Bream belongs to the Sparidae Family. The Red bream is a fish with a common length of 15 to 30 cm, the maximum known size being 60 cm. This fish can live for about twenty years. It breeds from May to August or March to July. Although it is fished all year round, it is between fall and winter that catches increase.
The body is oval in shape, compressed laterally, as in most Sparidae. The head has an almost straight profile, a pointed snout, a fairly small mouth in a low and inclined position. The diameter of the eye is much smaller than the length of the muzzle. The inside of the mouth is greyish or whitish. The 2 jaws have sharp teeth in front (larger outer teeth, with small teeth) and 2 or 3 rows of molar-shaped teeth in the back. Like all Sparidae, it has only one dorsal fin. It begins at the plumbing of the pelvic bones and includes 12 spines and 10 to 11 soft rays. The anal fin has 3 spines and 8 to 9 soft rays, the length of its base is one-third that of the dorsal fin. The pectoral fins are high and very long, reaching almost vertically from the beginning of the anal fin. The caudal fin is forked. The body color is silvery pink with bluish reflections, the back and top of the head being darker. The upper part of the body is dotted with small blue spots. The upper outer edge of the lid is marked with a carmine red. The bases of the pectoral fins have a reddish spot and sometimes a spot is also observed at the base of the last rays of the dorsal fin.