Head to head
Black Seabream vs European Sea Bass
Black Seabream
VS European Sea Bass
The black seabream and the European sea bass are two prized inshore fish of British and European waters, and both are popular with anglers.
| Black Seabream | European Sea Bass | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Spondyliosoma cantharus | Dicentrarchus labrax |
| Family | A sea bream, with a deep, oval body | A temperate bass, with a streamlined body |
| Appearance | A deep, oval, silvery-grey to dark body with faint lengthways stripes and a small mouth | A streamlined, silvery body with a darker back, two dorsal fins, and sharp spines on its gill covers |
| Size | Usually 20 to 40 cm long | A medium-to-large fish valued by anglers and restaurants |
| Diet | Omnivore, eating seaweed, small crustaceans, worms, and other small animals | Carnivore, eating small fish, crabs, shrimps, and squid |
| Habitat | Shoals around rocky reefs, wrecks, and weedy ground | Coastal waters, with young fish spending their first years in sheltered estuaries and creeks |
| Breeding | Moves inshore in spring to spawn, and the male clears a nest in sand or gravel, turns dark blue to black, and guards the eggs | Takes several years to mature, with males ready to spawn sooner than females |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, widespread across a large range | Least Concern, though heavily fished stocks in northern waters are managed with catch limits |
Black Seabream vs European Sea Bass: common questions
Which one guards a nest?
The black seabream male, who clears a shallow nest in sand or gravel, turns dark blue to black, and guards the eggs fiercely.
Which one is a predator of fish?
The European sea bass, which eats small fish, crabs, shrimps, and squid, whereas the black seabream is an omnivore.
Where do young sea bass grow up?
In sheltered estuaries and creeks, which act as nurseries before the young fish move out to sea.