- Scientific Name
- Acanthopagrus butcheri
- Other Names
- Southern Black Bream, Southern Bream
- Size
- Up to 60 centimetres in length
- Weight
- Up to 4 kilograms in weight
General Description
Black bream are a very popular species amongst recreational fishers as their high quality flesh makes them a delicious table fish.
Black bream are generally golden brown to bronze on their upper body and white below. As the fish mature to over 1 kilogram, they often develop a blue tinge on their snout. They can grow up to 60 centimetres in length and 4 kilograms in weight, however, they are commonly smaller when caught by anglers. It is reported that bream take around 9 years to reach the minimum length of 28 centimetres.
Where to Find
Native to southern Australia, black bream inhibit coastal rivers, lakes and estuaries. They have adapted to life in estuaries where the salinity can range from freshwater to extremely salty.
Fishing Rules
View the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s Bream webpage for the current regulations including size and bag limits.
Threats and Management Issues
In 2018, the Status of Australian Fish Stocks‘ report classified our black bream stocks in the Gippsland Lakes as ‘depleting.’ The evidence analysed as part of the report found that ‘the continuing decline in mesh net catch rates, continuing low recreational catch rates and lack of evidence of recent strong recruitment events means a short-term recovery of the fishery means unlikely.’
In the same report, Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay and Western Port Bay fishery and Corner Inlet fishery were both categorised as sustainable black bream fisheries.
Since then, management measures have been implemented through the Victorian Fisheries Authority’s Gippsland Lakes Recreational Fishery Plan, including the buy-out of all commercial netting licences in April 2020 and the introduction of a Black Bream slot limit of 28–38 cm on 1 April 2021.
The 2023 ‘Status of Australian Fish Stocks‘ report classified our black bream stocks in the Gippsland Lakes as ‘recovering’.
References
Bray, D.J. & Gomon, M.F. 2024, Acanthopagrus butcheri in Fishes of Australia
Victorian Fisheries Authority, Black bream
