Distribution:

Eastern Atlantic: British Isles to Cape Blanc, Mauritania; (exceptionally further south) Senegal and around Canary Is. and Madeira . Common south of 40° N (Spain, North Africa) in the Mediterranean.

Biology:

Inhabits hard bottoms (rock or rubble) down to 200 m depth. Usually found in shallow water less than 50 m deep. Adults solitary; young gregarious. Young fish caught with traps. Feeds on fish, molluscs and cephalopods. Important foodfish. Marketed fresh or frozen. Some attempts to culture this species have been successful. Due to low market supply, the potential for selling these fish from aquaculture operations seems to be good.

Max. size: 100.0 cm

Max.weight: 9,640.0 g

Environment: benthopelagic; depth range - 200 m

Climate: subtropical; 60°N - 15°S

Canary Islands country information: Name: Sama, Pargo