Gilt-head bream - Sparus aurata

Orata Sparus aurata Intotheblue.it

Orata – Sparus aurata – intotheblue.it

After a storm it is much easier to meet some species of fish that in normal weather conditions would be more shy and suspicious. Even the Gilt-Head Bream (Sparus aurata) in these weather conditions is often in search of food and allows the diver to approach it much more easily. Basically in the rough sea, of course, not shaken, the bottom is repopulated: areas that in the calm sea conditions are devoid of life, as weather conditions change, they see approaching the bottom bottom different varieties of fish with different eating habits. In these specific marine weather conditions it is easier for the predators to approach small fishes often awkward or not sufficiently agile in the rough sea, the movement of the waves raise stones, discover invertebrates from their hiding places, moreover the reduced visibility and the noise created by the waves conditions the senses of some species and their behavior. Orata Sparus aurata Intotheblue.it

The Sparidae are a family of fish in the order Periformes, commonly called sea breams and porgies. The sheepshead, scup and red seabream are species in this family. Most sparids are deep-bodied compressed fish with a small mouth separated by a broad space from the eye, a single dorsal fin with strong spines and soft rays, a short anal fin, long pointed pectoral fins and rather large firmly attached scales. They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters and are bottom-dwelling carnivores.

There are hermaphrodites in the Sparidae. Protogyny and protandry appear sporadically through this lineage of fish. Simultaneous hermaphrodites and bi-directional hermaphrodites do not appear as much since Sparidae are found in shallower waters. Species of fish that express a hermaphroditic condition usually “lack a genetic hardwire”, therefore ecological factors play a role in sex determination.

Most species possess grinding, molar-like teeth. Some of the species, such as Polysteganus undulosus, have been subject to everfishing, or exploitation beyond sustainable recovery.

(extract from Wikipedia)