Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Perciformes (Perch-likes) >
Moronidae (Temperate basses)
Etymology: Dicentrarchus: Greek, di = two + Greek, kentron = sting + Greek, archos = anus (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; oceanodromous; depth range 10 - 100 m (Ref. 9987). Subtropical; 8°C - 24°C (Ref. 4944); 72°N - 11°N, 19°W - 42°E (Ref. 54221)
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 32.3, range 23 - 46 cm
Max length : 103 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 40637); common length : 50.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6916); max. published weight: 12.0 kg (Ref. 1468); max. reported age: 20 years (Ref. 90070)
Dorsal
spines
(total): 8 - 10;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 12-13;
Anal
spines: 3;
Anal
soft rays: 10 - 12. Posterior edge of opercle finely serrated, lower edge with strong forward- directed denticles. 2 flat opercular spines. Mouth moderately protractile. Young with some dark spots on upper part of body. Head with cycloid scales above. Vomerine teeth only anteriorly, in a crescentic band.
Eastern Atlantic: Norway to Morocco, the Canary Islands and Senegal. Also known from the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Absent from White, Barents, Baltic and Caspian Seas (Ref. 59043).
Adults manifest demersal behavior, inhabit coastal waters down to about 100m depth but more common in shallow waters (Ref. 54221). They are found in the littoral zone on various kinds of bottoms on estuaries, lagoons and occasionally rivers. They enter coastal waters and river mouths in summer, but migrate offshore in colder weather and occur in deep water during winter in the northern range. Young fish form school, but adults appear to be less gregarious (Ref. 9987). Feed chiefly on shrimps and mollusks, also on fishes (Ref. 5990). Juveniles feed on invertebrates, taking increasingly more fish with age. Adults piscivorous . (Ref. 59043). Spawn in batches (Ref. 51846). Spawning takes place in the spring near the British Isles, and earlier in its southern range. Eggs are pelagic (Ref. 35388). Marketed fresh or smoked (Ref. 9987). Highly sought by sport fishermen (Ref. 30578). The North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee (NESFC) sea bass fishery has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (http://www.msc.org/) as well-managed and sustainable (http://www.msc.org/html/content_1432.htm).
Smith, C.L., 1990. Moronidae. p. 692-694. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes
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Estimates of some properties based on empirical models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.7656 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00887 (-0.03531 - 0.05305), b=3.05081 (3.01988 - 3.08175), based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.8 ±0.6 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.14; tm=2-4; tmax=30; Fec=230,000).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High vulnerability (57 of 100) .
