Numerous members of the Sparidae family that are found in temperate and tropical waters are referred to as sea bream, or seabream. They are related to porgies, have moderate to important significance commercially (depending on abundance and geography), and are commonly caught by inshore anglers. These fish are tough, dogged fighters that are commendable on appropriate light tackle, and they rate as excellent table fare. The more commonly distributed and popular species are noted here.
The sea bream (Archosargus rhomboidalis) appears in the western Atlantic Ocean from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico to Argentina, including the Caribbean and the West Indies. Its bluish back is streaked with gold, the belly is silvery, and there is a black spot on each side just above the pectoral fins.
Size
Most sea bream can reach a maximum weight of between 7.5 and 10 pounds, but on average they weigh between 1 and 2 pounds. The sea bream of the western Atlantic is rarely more than a foot long.  |   |
Food
Bream are largely omnivorous and feed on crustaceans; crayfish; mollusks, including oysters and mussels; small fish; worms; and algae. Some will also eat bread, chicken gut, mullet gut, cheese, and meat, all of which are sometimes used for bait.Habitat
Some sea bream are abundant in estuaries, and some are found in deeper, offshore waters. Some move up into brackish water but not into fresh-water. In the estuarine environment, bream frequent seagrass beds, underwater reefs and rocks, bridge pilings that grow mussels, and oyster beds. |
| a group of Sea Bream (Archosargus rhomboidalis) |
