Common Seabream or Bocinegro,Fuerteventura Nature
Common Seabream (Pagrus pagrus), also known as Red porgy and known locally in Fuerteventura as Bocinegro are reddish in colour with with yellow stripes and a grey head, dark reddish fins, an oval body, large teeth, a large V shaped tail with the two white tips, an unmistakable characteristic of this species.
They can reach a length of 90 cm, at night, or when alarmed blue-white spots appear on the head and spine. Bocinegro are carnivorous, and voracious feeders mainly feeding on on fish and crustaceans, crabs and sea urchin, local fishermen mainly use prawns or squid as bait for these.
They are very good to eat, the white flesh is very tasty and similar in taste to snapper, can often be found in local restaurants and supermarkets.
Due to its calm and inquisitive nature it frequently comes close to divers who have been known to feed them.
In the UK it is also known as Couch's Sea Bream after Dr Jonathan Couch who first discovered the species in British waters.
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