Dorade (ship)
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The gilt-head (sea) bream (''Sparus aurata''), known as Orata in antiquity and still today in Italy and Tunisia (known as "Dorada" in Spain, "Dourada" in Portugal and "Dorade Royale" in France), is a fish of the bream family Sparidae found in the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
and the eastern coastal regions of the
North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
. It commonly reaches about in length, but may reach and weigh up to about . The gilt-head bream is generally considered the best tasting of the breams. It is the single species of the genus ''Sparus'' – the Latin name for this fish – which has given the whole family of Sparidae its name. Its specific name, ''aurata'', derives from the gold bar marking between its eyes. The genome of the species was released in 2018, where the authors detected fast evolution of ovary-biased genes likely resulting from the peculiar reproduction mode of the species.


Biology

It is typically found at depths of , but may occur up to , seen singly or in small groups near
seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the or ...
or over sandy bottoms, but sometimes in
estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...
during the spring. It mainly feeds on shellfish, but also some plant material.


Fisheries and aquaculture

Gilthead seabream is an esteemed food fish, but catches of wild fish have been relatively modest, between 6,100 and 9,600 tonnes in 2000–2009, primarily from the Mediterranean. In addition, gilthead seabream have traditionally been cultured extensively in coastal lagoons and saltwater ponds. However, intensive rearing systems were developed during the 1980s, and gilthead seabream has become an important aquaculture species, primarily in the Mediterranean area and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. Reported production was negligible until the late 1980s, but reached 140,000 tonnes in 2010, thus dwarfing the capture fisheries production. Greece is the biggest seabream producer in Europe, followed by Turkey. Gilthead seabreams in aquaculture are susceptible to parasitic infections, including from '' Enterospora nucleophila''.


Cuisine

The fish is widely used in Mediterranean cooking, under a variety of names. In Tunisia, it is known locally as "wrata". In Spain, it is known as "dorada", and in France, as "dorade".


See also

*
Acanthopagrus ''Acanthopagrus'' is a genus of fish in the family Sparidae found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Species There are currently 20 recognized species in this genus: * '' Acanthopagrus akazakii'' Iwatsuki, Kimura & Yoshino, 2006 (New ...


References

* Alan Davidson, ''Mediterranean Seafood'', Penguin, 1972. , pp. 86–108.


External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q237046
gilt-head bream The gilt-head (sea) bream (''Sparus aurata''), known as Orata in antiquity and still today in Italy and Tunisia (known as "Dorada" in Spain, "Dourada" in Portugal and "Dorade Royale" in France), is a fish of the bream family Sparidae found in th ...
Commercial fish Fish of Europe Fish of the Mediterranean Sea Fish of the North Sea
gilt-head bream The gilt-head (sea) bream (''Sparus aurata''), known as Orata in antiquity and still today in Italy and Tunisia (known as "Dorada" in Spain, "Dourada" in Portugal and "Dorade Royale" in France), is a fish of the bream family Sparidae found in th ...
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gilt-head bream The gilt-head (sea) bream (''Sparus aurata''), known as Orata in antiquity and still today in Italy and Tunisia (known as "Dorada" in Spain, "Dourada" in Portugal and "Dorade Royale" in France), is a fish of the bream family Sparidae found in th ...