Brown meagre

Person in charge

Eric Durieux

Problematic issues

The brown meagre, Sciaena umbra, is a coastal marine fish that is both emblematic and heritage of the Mediterranean. It represents an economic interest even if the species is not specifically targeted and it conveys a very strong heritage interest, especially for divers and underwater hunters. Finally, the Brown meagre is under conservation status and is listed on the IUCN Red List in the “Vulnerable (Mediterranean regional assessment)” category and has been subject to a moratorium on recreational fishing in France since 2013.

Objectives

This project focuses on the zootechnical dimension with the objective of improving knowledge on the biology and reproduction of this species in a conservation context. In a more general perspective of sustainable management of coastal fisheries resources in Corsica, work is also being carried out on the “fisheries ecology” aspect of this species, currently as part of the DACOR, MOONFISH, MoPaMFish and Behavioural Modelling halieutic projects.

Description

The brown meagre, Sciaena umbra, is a coastal marine fish that is both emblematic and heritage of the Mediterranean. This species is not the subject of an intensive targeted fishery but is nevertheless a highly appreciated secondary catch with an economic interest for small-scale fisheries. The Brown meagre is under conservation status and is listed on the IUCN Red List in the “Vulnerable (Mediterranean regional assessment)” category. In the French Mediterranean (Continent and Corsica), since 2013, the Brown meagre, like the brown grouper, is subject to a 5-year ban on recreational fishing (underwater hunting and bait fishing). The Sciaena umbra thus highlights certain environmental, societal and economic interests in the Mediterranean and in Corsica in particular. In general, the knowledge level on the Brown meagre remains limited and the few studies dealing with this species are relatively recent. It is therefore necessary to increase our understanding of this species. In particular, the control of the reproduction and farming of this species is of great interest in terms of conservation biology. However, despite some experiments in Greece, the farming of brown meagre is currently not under control and there are still a number of zootechnical barriers to be removed.

Steps to be taken

The zootechnical aspect of this project therefore aims to develop reproduction and farming protocols to control the species ‘breeding. The objectives will be:

• stalling spawners which will allow, on one hand, to help individuals acclimatize for reproduction and on the other hand to test the growth capacities of the species in captivity.
• study reproduction in order to define the optimal conditions for obtaining viable roe.
• reaching the first stages of development from the larval phase to the production of juveniles.