European seabass

European bass
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Moronidae
Genus:	Dicentrarchus
Species:	D. labrax
Binomial name
Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758)

For other fish called "bass", see bass (fish).

The European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax, also known as Morone labrax, is a primarily ocean-going fish that sometimes enters brackish and fresh waters. It is also known as the sea dace. Highly regarded as a food fish, it is often marketed as Mediterranean seabass, bronzini or branzini (branzino is the name of the fish in Northern Italy; in other parts of Italy, it is called spigola or ragno). In Spain, where, due to its popularity, it is farmed, it is called lubina or róbalo, and in France bar commun.

The European bass is a member of the Moronidae family. The name Dicentrarchus derives from the presence of two dorsal fins. It has silver sides and a white belly. Juvenile fish maintain black spots on the back and sides, a feature that can create confusion with Dicentrarchus punctatus. This fish's operculum is serrated and spined. It can grow to a total length of over 1 m (3.3 ft) and 15 kg of weight.^[1]

Its habitats include estuaries, lagoons, coastal waters and rivers. It is found in the waters in and around Europe, including the eastern Atlantic Ocean (from Norway to Senegal), the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

It is mostly a night hunter, feeding on small fish, polychaetes, cephalopods and crustaceans.

The fish has come under increasing pressure from commercial fishing and has recently become the focus in the United Kingdom of a conservation effort by recreational anglers.^[2] In Italy the bass is the subject of intensive breeding in salt waters.

In the Republic of Ireland, there are strict laws regarding bass. All commercial fishing for the species is banned and there are several restrictions in place for recreational anglers, a closed season May 15- June 15 inclusive every year, a minimum size of 400mm, and a bag limit of two fish per day.

Debate has been ferocious in Britain in recent years as to the origin of the word "seabass". The traditional word was "bass" but that has changed with the recent popularity of cooking programmes and the expansion of restaurant marketing, both of which have adopted the phrase "seabass".^{[citation needed]} There is only one type of bass in the British Isles and thus the expression "seabass" is probably unnecessary , although the Large Mouth (or Black) Bass indigenous to North America has been widely stocked in Southern Europe with significant breeding populations in many lakes and rivers in South Western France. Thus the distinction is valid in a European context.

In Greek, the vernacular name of this fish, as well as that of the related Dicentrarchus punctatus, is lavraki (λαβράκι).^[3] In Greek cuisine, the fish can be prepared in a variety of ways (e.g. grilled, steamed in parchment) and is often considered a delicacy. Greek journalists use the same word (lavraki) to refer to high-value exclusive news stories, a cultural reference to the perceived luck of an angler when catching this fish.

Farming

European seabass was one of the first types of fish after salmon to be farmed commercially in Europe. The most important farming countries are Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Croatia and Egypt. The annual production is some 60,000 tonnes and is increasing quickly.

Notes

1. ^ FishBase.
2. ^ Clover, The End of the Line.
3. ^ http://www.fishbase.org/comnames/CommonNameSummary.cfm?autoctr=248638

"Anglers Dictionary" 1760 by Rupert Brookes first known use of the term "Sea Bass"

References

• Clover, Charles (2004). The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat. London: Ebury Press. ISBN 0-09-189780-7. 
• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Dicentrarchus labrax" in FishBase. 2 2006 version.
• "Dicentrarchus labrax". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=170317. Retrieved 6 June 2006.