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FISH GUIDE · Sea

Black seabream: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Spondyliosoma cantharus

Black seabream, also known in French as griset or canthare, calls for attentive fishing near the bottom. Start with a simple bait rig whose depth and contacts you can control. The aim is to understand the presentation; the number of bites alone does not establish that this species is present.

Catalogue names : Daurade grise, Griset. Forms and names may vary between habitats.

Editorial review : · This species guide is not permission to fish. Read the precautions below and check the current rules for your location before targeting a species. Some species or populations are protected.

Geographical distribution

Found on Atlantic coasts from Norway to northern Namibia and in the Mediterranean; DORIS also lists the Canary Islands, Madeira and Cape Verde.

  • Documented presence : Eastern Atlantic
  • Documented presence : Mediterranean Sea

Documented areas, not an exhaustive list. Presence in a region does not imply presence in every water body or permission to fish.

Distribution sources

Identification

Spondyliosoma cantharus has a deep, compressed body, a small mouth and a grey colour that may show bands. It lacks the gilthead seabream’s golden forehead band. Colour alone is insufficient: colour patterns vary, and a small mouth helps explain why a large bait complicates presentation.

Habitat

It inhabits Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts over varied bottoms with rocks and marine vegetation. A feature beside a clear patch is one type of spot to explore. From a boat, plan the drift path before preparing the line; from the bank, aim for somewhere you can retrieve the rig.

Diet

Mainly invertebrates, including polychaete worms and crustaceans; young cuttlefish and algae are also reported in its diet.

Behaviour

Black seabream eat invertebrates and algae. They form groups, but activity on the bottom may involve several species. Observe the nature of the bites and, above all, identify each catch instead of inferring a shoal of black seabream from rapidly nibbled bait.

Indicative biological size

30–40 cm in the DORIS description; this biological indication is not a legal size limit.

Fishing context and precautions

  1. From a boat with anchoring permitted and managed by the person responsible for navigation, locate an accessible bottom edge with no visible nest. The boat-bottom-fishing method documented by FNPP17 is practised from an anchored boat.
  2. Prepare a simple paternoster rig: a terminal weight and a short hook snood above the weight.
  3. Lower the line, find the bottom and remove just enough slack to feel bites without constantly dragging. The weight must hold in the current.
  4. At a clear bite, establish contact; bring the rig up to check the bait after repeated taps. Adjust the weight before adding more hooks.

A distinctive feature

The male prepares a nest, then protects and aerates the eggs until they hatch.

Sources and review

Each reference includes its access date. Overall editorial review: . Local conditions and regulations may change.

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