Sars - Oblades - Sea Bream - Mandoles

Sea bream: I see three species of sea bream: the common sea bream (Diplodus sargus), the blackhead sea bream (Diplodus vulgaris) and the rarer sharpsnout sea bream (Diplodus puntazzo). I see them in large numbers every day; they swim in open water but do not allow themselves to be approached. The very small ones are in schools and the larger ones, which can be 30 cm, are more solitary. Coming across a large sea bream in clear water is a great experience: they are beautiful fish, silver-grey with a nice rounded shape and a "good" head 😊 ... They are sometimes difficult to distinguish from the oblades which also have a black spot on the tail but are more elongated and smaller. There is also a similar fish, the Sparaillon (Diplodus annularis) which I have probably seen, but not recognized! The blackhead seabream is more recognizable thanks to its black band and the sharp-snout seabream... does have a pointed snout but it's difficult to get close enough to be sure!

Oblades (Oblada melanura): These resemble the common seabream, but are more elongated, lack the black on the tail, and have a small, darker longitudinal line. A beautiful, shiny fish; schools of small oblades are particularly attractive.

Gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata): Recognizable by their yellow band between their eyes, the "crown" that gives them their name, they do not allow themselves to be approached, which makes them difficult to photograph. In general, they are solitary when they are adults but I have seen schools of about ten small ones. They also have a black spot on the operculum and a black-edged tail. We sometimes see some big enough to make a good portion on the plate! There are other types of sea bream (grey and pink) but I don't think I have seen any.

Mandolas (Spicara maena): I rarely see them and they are difficult to photograph because they swim deeper. Easily recognizable by their rectangular black spot in the middle of their flank. In 2025, I managed to make a good film of a mandola having breakfast... It was part of a group of three at La Croisette. See the film below.