Gilthead sea bream:professional buying guide, season, size grades, wild or farmed

01

Buying sheet

Shares calculated by the editorial team from the sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer). These figures only concern wild-caught fish; farmed sea bream does not go through the fish auctions. National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another.

02

When to find wild gilthead sea bream?

In autumn, and above all in October: in 2024, this month alone accounted for nearly 30% of yearly auction sales of gilthead sea bream. The average price then falls to its lowest of the year, in October and November. In the Mediterranean, this peak coincides with the departure of sea bream from the lagoons of the Gulf of Lion towards the open sea: Ifremer's tracking observes in autumn a massive, synchronised departure towards their spawning grounds.

The four fish auctions of Occitanie (Le Grau-du-Roi, Sète, Port-la-Nouvelle, Agde) account for more than half of national sales. Their average prices are clearly lower than those of the Breton auctions (Lorient, Concarneau, Le Guilvinec), where wild sea bream arrives in smaller quantities.

03

Wild or farmed: how to tell them apart?

• The label: "caught" or "farmed" is mandatory, with the area or the country of farming.
• The size grade: farming delivers very regular batches, mostly between 300 and 600 g. A 1.5 kg wild sea bream in the middle of February is a rarity.
• Shape and fat: farmed sea bream is often rounder, with fat in the belly cavity; wild fish is usually firmer, with brighter colours. These are trade clues, not proof: the label is what counts.
• The price: a gap with farmed fish that is too small should raise the question of the origin.

04

How to judge freshness?

Bright golden band between the eyes; bulging, clear eye; bright red gills; scales firmly attached and shiny; firm flesh; a smell of iodine. The golden band fades with time: when it is dull, it gives away a fish several days old.

05

What pitfalls to avoid?

• "Dorade" without further detail. The black sea bream (Spondyliosoma cantharus) and the blackspot sea bream (Pagellus bogaraveo) are not gilthead sea bream. On a price list or a menu, the species must be named.
• A "portion" that is too small. A 200 to 300 g sea bream gives two thin fillets; for a plate, take the 300 to 400 g or the 400 to 600 g.
• Wild fish advertised all year round at the same size grade, with no price variation: this is the signature of farming.

06

What to replace gilthead sea bream with?

07

What makes the price of gilthead sea bream move?

Year 2024, all French fish auctions: average first-sale price at the auction hall (FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions, workbook published on 2 July 2026). Spread between auctions: among those handling at least 5% of gilthead sea bream volumes. Wild-caught sea bream only: farmed sea bream does not go through the fish auctions. The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, transport and margin are added to it.

For wild sea bream, the price moves against landings. From April to August 2024, the fish auctions sold less than 60 t of it a month, at over €15/kg; in October, 218 t, and the price fell to about €8.80/kg. It stayed at its lowest in November, even though sales had already dropped back to 59 t. 2025 confirms this seasonality, with July still the most expensive month and October the cheapest. The spread between auctions is wide, and the Occitanie auctions, which sell the most, are the cheapest; the workbook does not give the cause: compare at equal size grade and gear.

• The production method: farmed fish, plentiful and regular, costs clearly less than wild fish. At Rungis, in 2024, a 0.8 to 1 kg gilthead sea bream was worth on average about €12.70/kg farmed and €19.40/kg wild (RNM quotations quoted by EUMOFA).
• The wild season: lowest in October and November, highest in summer, when landings are low and tourist demand is strong.
• The size: large wild fish command top prices.
• The fishing method: line above net and trawl.