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Black sea bream:professional buying guide, season, size grades, auction prices

Black sea bream (griset) for the trade: late-winter season, Channel fish auctions, size grades, gilthead sea bream, pandora and red porgy, auction prices.

Updated 7 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. Buying sheet
  2. When to buy black sea bream?
  3. Black sea bream, gilthead sea bream, pandora, red porgy: how not to confuse them?
  4. How to judge the freshness of a black sea bream?
  5. What to replace black sea bream with?
  6. What makes the price of black sea bream move?
  7. Frequently asked questions

The black sea bream (Spondyliosoma cantharus), called "griset" or "dorade grise" in French, is a fish of the sea bream family (Sparidae) caught mostly with trawls in the English Channel and Brittany; smaller and markedly cheaper than gilthead sea bream, it is in full season in late winter, when the Normandy fish auctions sell the most of it. In France, the permitted trade names are "griset" and "dorade grise". It is neither the gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), nor the blackspot sea bream or the pandoras (Pagellus), nor the red porgy (Pagrus pagrus).

Buying sheet

Black sea bream
Scientific nameSpondyliosoma cantharus
Peak seasonFebruary and March: 29% of the year's auction sales in 2024. Present all year round, scarcer from May to November
Closed seasonNo closure and no EU quota for this species
Minimum sizeNo EU minimum size (EU regulation 2019/1241)
Size grades on price lists (examples of trade practice, not a standard)300 to 500 g, 500 to 800 g, 800 g to 1 kg, 1 kg and over; sometimes in sizes T1 to T3. Frequent mentions: line, "côtier" (inshore), "petit bateau" (small boat)
Main French fish auctions (2024)1,466 t sold at auction. Port-en-Bessin 20%, Boulogne-sur-Mer 14%, Le Guilvinec 8%, Granville 6%, Erquy 5%, La Turballe 5%
OriginsEnglish Channel and North-East Atlantic (FAO area 27) for most French auction sales; the species also lives in the Mediterranean (FAO area 37)
Fishing methodsMostly trawl (pelagic, sometimes pair-trawled, or bottom trawl): in 2025, trawlers supplied about 69% of auction sales, demersal seiners 12%; the rest by net, line and pot
YieldAbout 40% as skinless fillets for the sea bream family (FAO): an order of magnitude, to be measured on your own deliveries
StorageWhole, gutted, on melting ice (0 to 2 °C)

Shares calculated by the editorial team from the sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer); gears: same source, year 2025, the only one detailed. These figures only cover fish sold at auction, not fish sold by private agreement.

  • 1,466 tof black sea bream sold at French fish auctions in 2024
  • 20%of these sales at Port-en-Bessin
  • €4.10/kgaverage auction price, against €12.02/kg for gilthead sea bream

Source: FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions 2024.

When to buy black sea bream?

In late winter. In 2024, French fish auctions sold 230 t in February and 188 t in March, against 83 t in May and 80 t in November. Late winter is also when its price is lowest. The two leading auctions are two Channel ports, Port-en-Bessin and Boulogne-sur-Mer, and most of the black sea bream sold at auction comes from trawlers.

The species spawns in spring and summer near the Channel coasts: according to the Normandy seafood trade association, the males prepare "nests" there on fine gravel beds. It remains present on price lists for the rest of the year, in smaller quantities and at higher prices.

SpeciesJFMAMJJASOND
Black sea breamavailablepeak landingspeak landingsavailableavailableavailableavailableavailableavailableavailableavailableavailable

●● high landings; ● present; ○ low. National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another.

Black sea bream, gilthead sea bream, pandora, red porgy: how not to confuse them?

SpeciesScientific namePermitted names in FranceKey point
Black sea breamSpondyliosoma cantharusgriset, dorade grisegrey body, no golden band; about three times cheaper than gilthead at auction
Gilthead sea breamSparus auratadorade royale, dauradegolden band between the eyes; mostly farmed, wild in autumn
Blackspot sea breamPagellus bogaraveodorade rose, pageot rosepink fish, of the pandora family
Red porgyPagrus pagruspagre commun, doradepink fish; can be sold under the name "dorade" alone

"Dorade" without further detail therefore does not designate a species: on a price list, a menu or a label, ask for the exact name and the scientific name, mandatory on the label with the catch area and the gear. Colour and band are trade clues; the label is what counts.

How to judge the freshness of a black sea bream?

Bulging, clear eye; bright red gills; shiny scales firmly attached; rigid body, firm flesh that springs back; a smell of the sea. A soft belly and scales that come off at a touch signal a fish several days old.

What to replace black sea bream with?

UseSubstituteNote
Whole fish in the oven, dish of the dayFarmed gilthead sea breamavailable all year round, more expensive
Pan-fried filletPandora, red mulletfirm flesh, comparable portions
Large fish to shareSea bass, meagrehigher price per kilo

What makes the price of black sea bream move?

Average first-sale price at auction, France, 2024Black sea bream
Yearly averageabout €4.10/kg
Cheapest monthDecember: about €3.00/kg; February: about €3.01/kg
Most expensive monthApril: about €5.59/kg
Spread between auctionsfrom €2.52/kg (Port-en-Bessin) to €4.64/kg (La Turballe)

Year 2024, all French fish auctions: national average first-sale price at the auction hall (FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions, workbook published on 2 July 2026). Spread between auctions: the cheapest and the most expensive of the auction halls handling at least 5% of volumes. Prices given to the cent, given their level. The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, transport and margin are added to it.

Buy it in late winter: the price moves against landings. In February 2024, with 230 t sold, black sea bream sold at around €3.01/kg; in April, with 102 t, at around €5.59/kg, and in May, with 83 t, at around €5.24/kg. 2025 confirms the same seasonality, with February the cheapest and higher prices from April to November. The spread between auctions is wide: the two large Channel auctions, Port-en-Bessin and Boulogne-sur-Mer, are the cheapest (€2.52 and €2.89/kg), the auctions of Brittany and Loire-Atlantique more expensive (from €3.91/kg at Le Guilvinec to €4.64/kg at La Turballe). Size, fishing method and local outlets may explain it; the workbook does not allow a conclusion.

  • The season: plentiful and cheap in February and March, scarcer and more expensive from spring to autumn.
  • The size: read prices at equal size grade, a "300/500" line and a "1 kg and over" line are not the same product.
  • The fishing method: on price lists, line-caught or small inshore boat black sea bream is listed separately from trawled fish; read prices at equal fishing method.
  • Gilthead sea bream: when wild gilthead is short, black sea bream serves as a lower-priced solution; in 2024, its average auction price was nearly three times lower.
  • The weather: a gale in the Channel keeps trawlers in port and cuts off the late-winter supply.

Frequently asked questions

When is black sea bream in season?

Late winter: in 2024, February and March made up 29% of the year's auction sales, with a peak in February (230 tonnes). It remains available the rest of the year, in smaller quantities and at higher prices.

Are griset and dorade grise the same fish?

Yes. "Griset" and "dorade grise" are the two permitted trade names in France for Spondyliosoma cantharus.

What is the difference between black sea bream and gilthead sea bream?

They are two species of the same family. Gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) has a golden band between the eyes and comes mostly from farming; black sea bream (Spondyliosoma cantharus) is grey, without a band, and sold at auction as a wild-caught fish. At auction, in 2024, gilthead sold for about €12.02/kg on average, black sea bream for about €4.10/kg.

What is the auction price of black sea bream in France?

About €4.10/kg on average in 2024 (FranceAgriMer), from €3.00/kg in December to €5.59/kg in April. This is a first-sale price: the price paid to the fish merchant also includes processing, transport and margin.

What fillet yield can be expected?

The FAO uses about 40% as skinless fillets for the Sparidae, the family of black sea bream; it gives no measurement specific to this species. Weigh your fillets on a few deliveries before setting the cost of the portion.

Sources

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