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FISH GUIDE · Sea

Axillary seabream: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Pagellus acarne

A slender silvery-grey sparid with pink reflections.

Catalogue names : Axillary seabream. 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

Documented presence includes: eastern Atlantic, from Senegal to Denmark ; Mediterranean Sea. The Gulf of Guinea record requires confirmation.

  • Documented presence : eastern Atlantic, from Senegal to Denmark
  • 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

Arched snout and dark mark at the upper base of the pectoral fins.

Habitat

Rocky or sandy bottoms; young fish also use coastal rocks and seagrass.

Diet

Worms, molluscs, crustaceans and small fish.

Behaviour

It lives in loose shoals near the bottom or in open water and feeds by day and night.

Indicative biological size

About 25 cm standard length according to FishBase, excluding the tail fin.

Fishing context and precautions

Laurent Duclos describes boat bottom fishing for axillary seabream; the CNR manual explicitly includes Pagellus acarne among seabream caught by bolentino. Indicative adaptation from a boat where fishing is permitted: prepare a terminal-sinker rig with a short snood, bait a single hook with a worm or a piece of shrimp or shellfish, then lower it under control to the bottom. Take up only the slack to maintain contact without dragging the rig. On a bite, allow tension to build and retrieve steadily; if snagging recurs, retrieve and change the drift. This single-hook simplification is not a proven optimal rig. Prefer a shallow spot compatible with safety and local rules; seabream may suffer barotrauma. Prepare landing and do not improvise swim-bladder puncture or decompression procedures.

A distinctive feature

The species is protandrous: individuals that start as males become females.

Sources and review

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

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