Brown Meagre

Description

The brown meagre is between 30 and 40 cm in length but can grow to 60 cm. It has a flat belly and its strongly arched back which give it an easily recognisable shape, the body is laterally compressed and the large, horizontal mouth reaches the level of the eye and contains villiform teeth. The anal and pelvic fins are black with an anterior white border. Both dorsal fins and the truncate caudal fin, are yellow with a black border. The body is grey with flashes of gold and silver. The scales are ctenoid on the nape and the body while the head scales are cycloid.

Distribution

The brown meagre is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the southern English Channel south to Senegal and Cape Verde, including the Canary Islands, records from West Africa south of Senegal are questionable. Also in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.

Habitat

The brown meagre is found at depths between 5 m and 200 m, mainly over rocky and sandy substrates and the young enter estuarine environments. It feeds off the small fishes and crusteceans. They are capable of creating sound using some muscles under their well developed swim bladder. This is their way of communication since they have a very good hearing ability. They can manage their buoyancy perfectly. It is a rather nocturnal fish but it can occasionally be found during the day among beds of sea grass and on rocky bottoms in the vicinity of caves or large crevices where it can shelter. This species is social and lives in small groups. The spawning period is from March to August in the Mediterranean.

Fisheries

The brown meagre is a commercial species throughout the Mediterranean basin and has been over exploited by fishing practices. It is fished mainly by spear fishing, trammel nets, and gill nets and is heavily exposed to fisheries during spawning aggregations at the mouths of estuaries.

Sold fresh or frozen across fish markets in Turkey. Fish's otoliths are ground and used for urinary infections by local people. It's a territorial fish who does not migrate. The fishing of this species was banned in Turkey until 2007 for protection. Since then it is open to sport fishing up to 5 kg.

Etymology

The specific name umbra is derived from the Latin for a shadow or phantom, while the generic name is derived from the Greek skiaina or skion meaning a fish, or more specifically a red mullet.