Sea bass belong to the Perciformes (perch-like) family and are sometimes mistaken for catfish. They have a long, elegant body shape, serrated dorsal fins and shiny silver scales. Their ventral side has a light silver shimmer. They are mostly recognised by the black spot on their gill. The largest specimens are up to 80 centimetres long and weigh up to ten kilograms. However, the fish available on the market average at 40 centimetres and about 1.5 kilograms. Males grow more slowly than females and do not usually reach this size. Sea bass are predators who like to reside in the vicinity of estuaries and coasts. They hunt all possible varieties of shoal fish, such as herring. The sea bass spawns from May to August, whereby the eggs of females are not deposited in a fixed location, but instead the larvae is left to drift freely in the water until hatching.
