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FISH GUIDE · Sea

Meagre: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Argyrosomus regius

Present a shad near the bottom from a controlled drift. These settings are suggestions requiring local adjustment; organise navigation and landing the fish before seeking meagre.

Catalogue names : Meagre. 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 in the eastern Atlantic, notably from the Bay of Biscay to Senegal, in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. DORIS also describes anti-Lessepsian expansion from the Mediterranean into the Red Sea through Suez, rather than a release of fish.

  • Documented presence : Northeast Atlantic
  • Documented presence : Bay of Biscay
  • Documented presence : Mediterranean Sea
  • Documented presence : Black Sea
  • Documented presence : Red 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

Argyrosomus regius has an elongated body, a long second dorsal fin and a lateral line extending onto the tail. The mouth may show a golden tint. Compare these features with sea bass and other sciaenids; a sound alone does not identify the species.

Habitat

Coasts and estuaries are part of its life cycle. Look for a permitted channel margin or a bottom transition that allows an easily read drift. Avoid reported spawning areas, busy navigation channels and groups of juveniles.

Diet

Fish, cephalopods and shrimps; young fish in estuaries eat notably small crustaceans before broadening their diet.

Behaviour

Fish and cephalopods are part of its diet, with crustaceans eaten by the young. Adults may produce sounds during breeding. This is a biological fact, not an instruction to keep fishing a spawning aggregation. A presentation imitating a small fish is consistent with this diet, without demonstrating superiority over natural bait.

Fishing context and precautions

  1. Prepare a short drift over a permitted area and keep a clear exit route. On a boat, wear the required safety equipment and assign the helm to an available person. Do not let fishing distract from navigation or force a drift in the middle of a channel.
  2. Rig a shad straight on a jig head with a strong hook. Adjust weight to depth and current to find the bottom without turning the presentation into a stationary sinker. Check the point and knot; this setting is a suggestion requiring an understanding of the spot.
  3. Lower vertically, touch bottom briefly, then lift slightly. Alternate small lifts and pauses while keeping track of the line. If the angle grows too large, retrieve and restart a better-controlled drift rather than dragging behind the boat for a long time.
  4. On contact, tension the line without jerking. Keep the drag progressive and accommodate runs. Land the fish in a suitable net prepared before the drift. Note the current direction and presentation height, then change only one parameter on the next pass.

A distinctive feature

During breeding, adults can produce deep sounds using their swim bladder; that sound alone cannot confirm the species.

Sources and review

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

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