Bream, gilthead | Good Fish Guide | The consumer guide to sustainable seafood

Common name - Bream, gilthead

Scientific name - Sparus auratus

Average rating

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Consumer Information

In Greece fish farming has emerged as one of the fastest growing industries and now accounts for around 50% of the European Union's production of sea bass and sea bream. Spain, France and Italy are also key producers. Bream farmed in open net pens can cause some environmental concerns, however many of these concerns are addressed by organic production standards making organically farmed bream a good seafood choice. These concerns include pollution from both nutrients and organic matters that lead to environmental changes; escaped farmed fish; disease transfer between farmed and wild species; widespread use of chemicals and some remaining concerns surrounding enforcement and regulatory controls. Bream are carnivorous fish that require more fish in their diet that they actually produce, leading to a net loss of marine proteins and oils, the fish used to make their feed cannot be assured to be sourced from a sustainable supply.

Summary

In Greece, fish farming has emerged as one of the fastest growing industries and now accounts for around 50% of the European Union's production of sea bass and sea bream. Spain, France and Italy are also key producers. Bream are farmed in open sea pens and are fed a diet reliant on wild fish capture. Look out for organically farmed sea bream, which are farmed with lower stocking densities and fed more sustainable feeds. When buying farmed fish, ask your fish supplier if they have a buying policy to ensure they only source fish from farms with high environmental and welfare standards.

Alternatives

(Based on method of production, fish type, and consumer rating: only fish rated 3 and below are included.)

Basa, Tra, Catfish or Vietnamese River Cobbler
Bass, seabass
Bream, gilthead
Gurnard, Grey
Gurnard, Red
Gurnard, Yellow or Tub
John Dory
Red mullet, Striped red mullet
Tilapia

Visit Fishonline, the website for the seafood industry, for more detailed information about this species.