Notice the position of the eyes in relation to the mouth. 

28 April 2007

Fishbase entry (Link)

6 September 2006
Unidentified juvenile (120 mm) sea bream caught in the River Tamar and returned alive. The yellow horizontal broken stripes are rather distinctive. The position of the eyes in relation to the mouth rather indicates the Black Sea-Bream, Spondyliosoma cantharus, but there are other species of vagrant bream from southern seas which it could possibly be.

   
Breeding: 
Black Sea-Bream, Spondyliosoma cantharus, breed regularly at the eastern end of the English Channel; this is probably their northern limit for breeding, although they are found as summer migrants around much of Britain. The male excavates a depression in a sandy seabed, and the female lays her eggs into it. The eggs stick to the base of the nest, where they are fertilised and guarded fiercely by the male until they hatch. The young fish remain in the area of the nest for several weeks before dispersing. 
 

The Black Sea Bream, Spondyliosoma cantharus, is a protogynous hermaphrodite - female first and then becoming a male at a length of over 20 cm (I think, from memory). The White Sea Bream, Diplodus sargus, is a protandrous hermaphrodite, starting life as a male and becoming a female later in life. White Sea Bream  are found in the seas around the Channel Islands in the English Channel. 
The Sparidae employ many reproductive strategies.

Range:

Additional Notes:

 Black Bream are popular with anglers, but not usually abundant enough to be fished commercially. They are also known as Old Wife. 

 I have seen plenty of small Black Sea Bream when diving out of both Littlehampton and Bognor in Sussex with sizes varying from 3 - 4 cm long up to 13 cm, but never larger. Smaller ones, up to about 10 cm, were always in loose shoals with up to 7 individuals seen at one time, but may have been part of a larger shoal. They were usually to be found over a mixed cobble, pebble and gravel seabed. 
Jane Lilley. 

Notes: 

Black Bream have returned to the seas around Mevagissey in south Cornwall this year, with four specimens caught by an angler off the Lighthouse Quay at Mevagissey and displayed in the Aquarium (05.01.06) on the quay in the harbour. 

When swimming the fish is usually a silvery colour, but when resting at night or when caught on a hook, the fish displays black vertical barring. However, specimens seen at Anglesey Sea Zoo caught in the seas around north Wales were black. 

Reports:
 

10 July 2005
A Black Sea Bream,Spondyliosoma cantharus, was caught on rod and line from a boat in St. Andrew's Bay, Scotland. This is a northerly capture location for fish that breeds in the English Channel and further south. 

Received 28 May 2003
My uncle M. J. Browne caught a Black Sea Bream in the Menai Straits during 1935
wt. 6 lb 8 oz (2.95 kg) it was in the Guinness Book of records for years. Eventually it was dropped...believing the fish never attained this size??????? I see now that 10 lb is even possible.
Any Comment?
Paul Browne

Angling Records:

BREAM (Black) (Spondyliosoma cantharus)      lb  oz  dm kg  g
B	6	14	4	3	125	1977	J A Garlick, over wreck off S Devon coast
S	6	8	6	2	959	2001	Rosanne Guille, Creux Harbour, Sark, CI
BREAM (Couch's Sea) (Pagrus pagrus)
B	6	9	7	3	302	2007	Ray Fallaize in Guernsey waters
S	2	2	1	0	966	2002	Edward Glaba, Gouliot Passage, Sark
BREAM (Gilthead) (Sparus aurata)
B	9	15	8	4	521	1991	C J Bradford, Salcombe Estuary, Devon
S	10	5	8	4	692	1995	Colin Carr (14 yrs) Salcombe Estuary, Devon
BREAM (Pandora) (Pagellus erythrinus)
B	3	6	12	1	552	1997	C Stone, off Newquay coast, Cornwall
S	1	8	7	0	692	2001	Phillip Jewell, Helford River, Cornwall
BREAM (Ray's) (Brama brama)
B	6	3	13	2	829	1978	L/Cpl J Holland, Barra Head, Scotland
S	7	15	12	3	621	1967	G Walker, Crimdon Beach, Hartlepool
BREAM (Red) (Pagellus bogaraveo)
B	9	8	12	4	330	1974	B Reynolds, off Mevagissey, Cornwall
S	4	7	0	2	012	1979	A Salmon, Alderney Lighthouse, CI

National Federation of Sea Anglers
 

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c. 20 September 2001
There have been several reports of unusual Sea Breams (family: Sparidae) from around the Channel Islands. Shore angler Kevin Frain caught a Gilthead Bream, Sparus aurata, and there was a report of a White Sea Bream, Diplodus sargus, from St. Helier Marina, Jersey. Neither of these catches have been verified by an expert or confirmed by a photograph but they are likely to be accurate. 

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Pandora Bream, Pagellus erythrinus

8 October 2001
A Pandora Bream, Pagellus erythrinus, was caught by angler Phillip Jewell in the River Helford estuary, Cornwall. This is one of the rarer summer visitor sea breams (Family: Sparidae) to the English Channel. This was a new British angling record and the fish weighed in at 692 grams.

28 January 2008 
Guernsey commercial fisherman Rick Ferbrache brought me a Red Sea Bream (=Backspot Sea Bream), Pagellus bogaraveo, caught off Portinfer Bay on the north-west coast of Guernsey.  It weighed 454 grams and was 32.6 cm long (total length).

Red Sea Bream were common in Guernsey waters until 1984 and then they disappeared.  During the last year or so they have been making a comeback to Guernsey waters.

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Ray's Bream,  Brama brama. 

November 2005
 

The laterally compressed fish was washed up dead on a beach at Heacham, Norfolk. It measured 51 cm in total length and 47 cm without the distinctive long caudal fin. I have identified it as a Ray's Bream, Brama brama. 

12 June 2006
A Ray's Bream, Brama brama, was caught and landed in an eel-bow-net at Skalderviken, south-west Sweden by Hasse Edelin. The fish measured 53 cm and weighed 1.5 kg.
 

Hasse Edelin with the Ray's Bream, Brama brama.   Report and Photograph by Kent Andersson Fiske-Kent / American Fisheries Society

There have been several reports of this pelagic fish washed up dead on North Sea coasts over the winter of 2005-6. 
Ray's Bream Discussion and Extra Information (Link)
 

28 December 2006 A Ray's Bream, Brama brama, was caught  by angler Sören Linnemann, off north-east Denmark. It weighed 1.2 kg with a total length (including caudal fin) of 50 cm.    Report and Photograph by Kent Andersson Fiske-Kent / American Fisheries Society

26 August 2007
A Ray's Bream, Brama brama, (TL 458mm FL 380mm) ~ found on the beach at St Brelade's Bay (S Coast of Jersey, CI) early in the day ~ it was recognised straight away as something unusual by a spearfisherman who went to see what gulls were pecking over as he walked up the beach, also dumped were a number of winged ray frames, so I think it's fair to say the fish was probably net caught from a small boat not too far away wasn't in condition good enough to warrant a photograph, but was fresh & without doubt a Ray's Bream ~ the first one I am aware of in Jersey & possibly the Channel Islands?

4 October 2007
Ray's Bream, Brama brama, appear to have been relatively common off the west coast of Ireland this year. They are requently taken by Spanish registered long-liners while targeting Hake. Almost five tonnes were taken off the NW coast and landed into Killybegs by a single vessel.
On 18 October 2007, a further two tonnes were landed. 

7 October 2007
In the last two or three weeks three Ray's Bream, Brama brama, have been caught in the Moray Firth and one was found dead on the beach near Aberdeen on Sunday. This species has invasion years when ten or hundreds turn up in the North Sea.

22 October 2007

A Ray's Bream, Brama brama, was found dead on the strandline at Snettisham RSPB, Norfolk. (Map reference TF 646 327)

26 October 2007
We discovered a Ray's Bream, Brama brama, washed up on the beach at Sea Palling in Norfolk. We had trouble finding out what it was but another Rays Bream has been washed up at Snettisham near Hunstanton in Norfolk according to our local paper the Eastern Daily Press sometime this week (the picture and description especially the teeth, are exactly the same). 

2 November 2007
I found the Ray's Bream, Brama brama, flapping in the shallows near to the Cromarty Nigg ferry slipway at about 1.15 pm. I didn't know what it was, but had a good look at it before tossing it into deeper water - it was extremely silvery and had a very pronounced sickle-shaped tail. Not knowing that it was a deep water fish, and therefore presumably dying, I was surprised when it immediately appeared at the sea edge again. I had another look over it to memorise its characteristics, then threw it about 15 yards out into the sea, whereupon it vanished.
I'm very ignorant about fish species, but have a good visual memory, so was able to find this fish in the Observer Book of Sea Fishes, and then confirm identification by doing a search online.

4 November 2007
A Ray's Bream, Brama brama, was discovered by our Dalmation dog flapping around on Cleethorpes beach (near Grimsby) at low tide. It died shortly afterwards. Its identity was confirmed by its row of sharp teeth. 

5 November 2007
A Ray's Bream, Brama brama, was identified by staff at Hunstanton's Sea Life Sanctuary after a chalet attendant found it on the town's beach. Up to 20 in (50 cm) in size with sharp teeth, the fish are common near Iceland. 

10 November 2007
 

The fresh Ray's Bream, Brama brama, was found on Harlech Beach, Gwynedd, north-west Wales (Grid ref: SH 574 317). It weighed approximately 1.5 to 2 kg and was about 50 cm long. It was left stranded dead on the beach after ebb tide had receded for about an hour. 

9 December 2007
A Ray's Bream, Brama brama, was found on the Fife coast at Largo. It was identified through an internet search.  Long caudal fin, sharp teeth, tail shape and protruding jaw all helped with ID.

More Reports
 
 

Information wanted: Please send any records of this fish, with location, date, who discovered it, how it was identified, prevalence, common name and any other details to 
Shorewatch Project  EMail Glaucus@hotmail.com. 

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