Gilthead seabream - Sparus aurata

Distribution and capture Th e gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, is a subtropical Sparidae distributed from 62°N 15°N, 17°W 43°E. It occurs naturally in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (rare), and in the Eastern Atlantic, from the British Isles, Strait of Gibraltar to Cape Verde and around the Canary Islands (1). Gilthead sea bream are captured with traditional and sporting equipment, and sometimes with semi-professional systems (Spain, Sicily, Egypt and Cyprus); trawl nets, bottom set longline and hand line are commonly used. Th is species is regularly present on the markets in the Adriatic Sea, Greece, Turkey and the Maghreb. It is com mer cialised fresh, refrigerated and frozen. In 2004, the world capture production of gilt head sea bream was of 8.914 tonnes, i.e. less then 10% of aquaculture production (2).