Species
White seabream
White seabream, also called sargo: a silver grey seabream with dark vertical bars and a black saddle on the tail base that likes to feed in the foaming surf along rocky shores.
Diplodus sargus
Photo: Marrabbio2, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, adjusted to 3:2
- Spawning
- Varies by region: FishBase gives January to March; German Wikipedia says January to March in the eastern Mediterranean and March to June in the western part; in the Gulf of Tunis March to May, once the water warms from 15 to 18 °C (English Wikipedia). Matures at 2 years at about 17 cm (FishBase). Some fish change from male to female, others do not (German Wikipedia).
- Typical method
- Bottom fishing from rocky shores and jetties with a light rig
- Top bait
- Ragworm
How to recognise it
- Dark saddle shaped blotch on the tail base just behind the dorsal fin
- Silver grey with up to 9 vertical bars, alternating dark and lighter, most visible at night (English and German Wikipedia)
- Black rear edge of the tail fin, black spot above the pectoral fin base
Easily confused with: The sharpsnout seabream (Diplodus puntazzo) has a more pointed mouth and a flatter head profile (German Wikipedia). In markets the white seabream is sometimes sold as "dorade"; the real dorade is the gilthead seabream with its golden forehead band (German Wikipedia).
How to catch it
Methods: Bottom fishing from rocky shores and jetties with a light rig, Float fishing in the surf along rocky edges, Surf casting over sand with rocky patches, Light spinning with small soft plastics (rule of thumb)
Baits: Ragworm, Crab pieces, Mussel meat, Shrimp, Bread paste for smaller fish (rule of thumb)
Very active in the surf zone, mainly at dawn (FishBase); feeds by day (English Wikipedia). Rough, foaming water along rocky shores is considered especially productive (rule of thumb).
Habitat and food
Eastern Atlantic from southern Brittany through the Bay of Biscay and along Spain and Portugal to Gibraltar, plus Madeira, the whole Mediterranean and the Black Sea (English Wikipedia, FishBase). Off Israel it is replaced by D. levantinus (English Wikipedia). FishBase still extends the range to South Africa; according to English Wikipedia those populations are now separate species. Coastal rocky reefs with sand patches and Posidonia seagrass beds, 0 to 50 m deep (FishBase), down to 150 m according to English Wikipedia, most numerous in the surf zone. Juveniles live in seagrass, estuaries serve as nurseries (English Wikipedia).
Omnivorous: mussels, crustaceans, bristle worms, sea urchins, snails and amphipods, plus algae, especially in juveniles (FishBase, English and German Wikipedia). It has also been seen acting as a cleaner fish on mullet (English Wikipedia).
Size and age
FishBase: max. 45 cm total length, common 22 cm, maximum published weight 1.9 kg, maximum age 10 years; English and German Wikipedia give the same values.
Protection and rules
Size limits, bag limits, seasons and licences are set by each country, in the USA by each state. Pescaday does not list these rules: check them with your operator and the national authority before you fish. Notes with sources are given above under conservation status. Licence pages: Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Portugal. Fishing travel guide
In the kitchen
A popular, high priced food fish around the Mediterranean, often grilled (German Wikipedia). Since the 1990s some cooked white seabream have turned out rubbery and inedible; the cause is unknown, but it occurs mainly in polluted areas, for example with copper from antifouling paint (English Wikipedia).
Sources (5)
Know more?
Additions, photos of your catches or a mistake in the text: write to us and we will gladly credit you as a helper.
Send a tip