Biodiversity & Conservation

Bass - Dicentrarchus labrax - General information

Dicentrarchus labrax

Image Andrew Marriott - European sea bass caught near Conway and Colwyn Bay, North Wales. Image width ca 30 cm.
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Distribution map

Dicentrarchus labrax recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

Sightings Have you seen Dicentrarchus labrax?
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Dicentrarchus labrax is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Al Reeve Text page icon Refereed by:

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Chordata Sea squirts, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals
Class Actinopterygii Ray-finned fish, e.g. sturgeon, eels, fin fish, gobies, blennies, and seahorses
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Recorded from the Scottish, English and Welsh coast with more records from south and west coasts but few records from Ireland. However Dicentrarchus labrax is likely to be present around all coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Dicentrarchus labrax is a demersal fish present in the littoral zone over most substrata usually only to 10 m in depth but have been caught at depths of 70 m. The bass is predominantly a marine fish but are found in brackish water and in summer months enter estuaries and can penetrate some way up rivers.
Text page icon Description Dicentrarchus labrax is a thick-set fish with large scales that can grow to a length of 100 cm. The flanks are silvery in colour and the fish has a black or blue back and a yellowish or white underside. Juveniles have black spots on the upper part of the body but these spots are rare on adults. Dicentrarchus labrax has two distinct dorsal fins, the first of which is spiny with 8 or 9 spines. The head is moderately pointed and the pre-operculum (gill cover) has a row of forward pointing denticles on the lower edge. Young bass tend to school together, however, the adults are more likely to be found in smaller numbers.

This review can be cited as follows:

Al Reeve 2007. Dicentrarchus labrax. Bass. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 31/07/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3161>